By Sam Killingsworth
Sam is a Process Engineer with DaVita and volunteers annually on the planning committee for GESTEM.
I decided to become an engineer by accident. Well I was guided to it and chose it thinking I'd probably change my mind. My high school chemistry/biology teacher gave me a pamphlet for ESSI (Engineering and the Sciences Summer Institute)--a program at Kansas State to introduce high school juniors and seniors to STEM programs and careers. He told me he thought I'd make a good engineer and not really knowing what that meant I decided that I should attend this camp and see for myself if he was right. He helped me fill out my preferences (the different tracks of engineering I was most interested in) since I didn't know anything about any of them and I was assigned Industrial Engineering as my primary track.
I went to camp and learned so much about what my engineering options were and I really enjoyed my IE track. When it came time to apply for college I had been told to choose a major even if I wasn't sure because I'd get more scholarship opportunities that way. I picked IE because it was the only thing I even had a slightly specific desire to pursue but I figured I'd just change my major when I really figured it out. That day never came. Our program at K-State was excellent and I never felt and urge to leave. I told people all the time that I lucked into my life and to this day I still think it's true. I had toyed with so many career ideas but if it hadn't been for that recommendation from one great teacher I might never have landed here.
Sam is a Process Engineer with DaVita and volunteers annually on the planning committee for GESTEM.
I decided to become an engineer by accident. Well I was guided to it and chose it thinking I'd probably change my mind. My high school chemistry/biology teacher gave me a pamphlet for ESSI (Engineering and the Sciences Summer Institute)--a program at Kansas State to introduce high school juniors and seniors to STEM programs and careers. He told me he thought I'd make a good engineer and not really knowing what that meant I decided that I should attend this camp and see for myself if he was right. He helped me fill out my preferences (the different tracks of engineering I was most interested in) since I didn't know anything about any of them and I was assigned Industrial Engineering as my primary track.
I went to camp and learned so much about what my engineering options were and I really enjoyed my IE track. When it came time to apply for college I had been told to choose a major even if I wasn't sure because I'd get more scholarship opportunities that way. I picked IE because it was the only thing I even had a slightly specific desire to pursue but I figured I'd just change my major when I really figured it out. That day never came. Our program at K-State was excellent and I never felt and urge to leave. I told people all the time that I lucked into my life and to this day I still think it's true. I had toyed with so many career ideas but if it hadn't been for that recommendation from one great teacher I might never have landed here.
RSS Feed
