Why did you choose to attend LeTourneau?

I knew that I wanted to go to a Christian school with a good engineering program. That search criteria limited my search to only a handful of schools, but spread across the country. I liked the idea of going away to school to learn how to live more independently. I applied for schools across six states, and visited them as much as I could to make the best decision. When I visited LeTourneau, our engineering program and close-knit community blew me away. I put my trust in God in where He wanted me to go, and He opened the door for me to attend LeTourneau. I rested in God knowing that I had been called to this place for a reason.

How would you describe your time at LeTourneau?

My time at LeTourneau can be described in many ways. When I first came in as a freshman, college felt like summer camp. It did not feel like school, home, or normal life. Yet over the first semester, it gradually began to feel like all three of those things. While at LeTourneau, I have felt incredibly anxious and also at peace. I have felt strong anger and also amazing happiness. I have felt emptiness and also unbelievable joy. I have no way to describe my time at LeTourneau in a short statement because my time here has been so impactful. My time here has changed me and stretched me in so many ways, through the good and the bad.

Why did you choose your major?

Even before I started elementary school, I was already designing. I used to draw designs of primarily two things: houses and amusement parks. I was told that architects designed houses, and engineers designed roller coasters, so I figured that I would pick one for my career when the time came. Early in high school, I learned about Civil Engineering, and it seemed to be a blend of mechanical engineering and architecture. I have been gifted with a scientific and logical mind, but also with the grand vision of designing places. I fell in love with the idea of working on the scale of a city, understanding the intricacies of infrastructure systems and their interactions. Growing up right next to Disneyland in California, Disney Parks have always inspired me because they combine my love of theme parks, the nostalgia of storytelling, the strategy of perspective, and the intricacy of urban design. Civil Engineering is the instrument in which I can spread God’s love to others, by creating spaces and places that improve the lives of people.

What does your LeTourneau education mean to you?

In some ways, when I look back to when I first arrived on campus for orientation before my freshman year, I see a different person. At that point, I had plenty of knowledge, confidence, and skills already, but when I think of what I have added to my character since then, it is mind-boggling. The way I can approach difficult problems, my work ethic to fight through those problems, and my ability to organize my time, resources, and even others to solve those problems are all skills that I developed while studying Civil Engineering at LeTourneau. The information I have received through my education here is extremely valuable, but the ways in which I had to learn to process that information is priceless. I honestly believe my experience here will equip me well for a job in the engineering industry not because I learned how to do engineering, but because LeTourneau’s education taught me how to learn to solve new problems with new information. In a world with rapidly changing technology and challenges, adaptability, confidence, and willingness to work hard are all vital. LeTourneau University taught me how to do all of those well.

What is one thing you'll take away from your time at LeTourneau?

One thing I will take away from LeTourneau is life long friendships. In one semester, I already had deeper friendships than I had ever had before. Community at LeTourneau is really something special. In junior high and high school, I always had friends, but it was rooted in the circumstances only. At LeTourneau, when people have switched dorms, left for the summer, and now scattered in the coronavirus pandemic, my closest friendships have grown despite separation. As the circumstances shift after college, I believe many of my friendships that began at LeTourneau will stand strong!

What piece of advice would you give to an incoming freshman?

Don’t procrastinate your work. If you plan ahead and start homework early, you will have time to do the fun things that college has to offer. Don’t let deadlines determine when you work on something. Work ahead so you can keep your homework under control instead of letting it control you. I always give people the following advice, in the style of John F. Kennedy: “Ask not when this homework is due, but when can I do this homework.”