My parents have very successful careers in STEM. They pushed me to pursue my interests, which happened to be science and math, so engineering was an obvious career for me.

I would recommend taking as high level of math as you can, as well as advanced placement (AP) physics and/or chemistry. These are core courses that will be used throughout your time at Rose-Hulman and getting a head start really helps.

Honeywell, Rolls-Royce, Ford, Toyota, Boeing, Wall Street firms — almost any company will hire mechanical engineers, if not for their schooling, then for their critical thinking skills.

I work on safety and productivity in manufacturing plants, so I can honestly make a difference at work every day. It really helps me wake up and go to work every morning when you love what you do and the people you work with. I’m very fortunate to have found this in my first job out of Rose-Hulman.