Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Most Rewarding Academic Experience: This happened occurred because of myinvolvement as a teacher’s assistant for a lab and course mentor. The experience of helping other people understand an idea or concept is dually rewarding in that you realize you are becoming fluent enough in the subject area to explain it and you get to see the knowledge passed on to another person.

Student Organization Involvement: President of the Iowa State Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ student chapter, an ECpE department representative for the Dean’s Student Advisory Council, an Electrical Engineering Learning Community mentor, co-founder of Cy Speaks-ISU Toastmaster—a student group for public speaking.

Summer Internship: I worked on a GPS system for John Deere in the summer 2005. In 2006, I spent the summer in Washington, D.C., writing a policy paper on wind energy. I learned the importance of seeing the multidimensional aspects of the subject. I also felt like I was able to use the knowledge and background I had gained here at Iowa State to make positive contributions to addressing the energy issues this country faces.

Awards and Honors: 2006 Deans’ Student Leadership Award, the Everitt Award, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

Future Plans: I've decided to pursue my master’s because of the great mentorship from Dr. Mani Mina, who will be my major professor, and the passion for the subject that he introduced to me.