YEAR-IN-REVIEWS
2023-2024
YEAR 1
Freshman year, everyone I talked to before going to college told me about all the changes that would come with more responsibilities and a new life. I believed them to some extent, but their words were truer than I expected. When I got to college, I was a similar person to who I was when I graduated high school. I was a big people pleaser and someone who would drop everything I was doing for everyone else. This trait had always been a blessing and a curse because people would see me as someone who would always help them and be there for them, but it would take my time away from the things I needed or wanted to do. After a couple of weeks, I started to feel overwhelmed and overworked with a full schedule’s class load. As a result of this, I would be at the library for hours on end every night to get my work done and on time. I would work with my roommates and other close friends who were in the same classes I was in. This worked well for me as I could bounce ideas and questions off them, and they could do the same with me. However, I would drop anything I was working on to help the people around me if they had a question. This started to hinder my own work because my work would not get done as ahead of schedule as I would like.
I started to put my own work ahead of the questions of others second semester. I tried to put myself first in school and in my social life. I had a roommate who, in the past, would have problems in any department and I would come running trying to help solve them. When I started putting myself first she would take offence to it. In addition to that, when I would get a good grade on an exam she would put my accomplishment down when I would do better on them than her. She would always pull out an excuse as to why she would do so poorly. This continued for the entire spring semester to the point where I was so defeated to talk to her about anything because she would put me down to make herself look better but I would still try to make her feel better because of the people pleaser I am. At one point in the semester, I realized that I needed to make a change because she had diminished my love for learning and diminished any accomplishments for the last time. I started to cut her from my life because I came to realize that I needed to surround myself with people who would pull me up instead of pushing me down so that they could seem taller. I started to reflect on my life more than ever as I accessed all the personal relationships I had made in college. I started to distance myself from people who would use me for only help and get closer to those who would build me up. By starting this process, I have started to feel more empowered and more resilient because the people who I accessed to be builders encouraged me. I will utilize my network of clubs that I have joined with engineers as well as my counselors to help find more people who will make me a better person rather than tear me down. I have come to realize that I am stronger than I knew at the beginning of the school year, and I am better for it.
2024-2025
YEAR 2
I have lived in Cincinnati my entire life. One of the main reasons I chose UC for a chemical engineering degree is the co-op program, where I could go anywhere in the world and get a job. I took advantage of this opportunity this year by taking a position as a chemical engineering co-op in Houston, Texas. When offered this job opportunity, I was extremely excited to move down to Texas in area of the chemical engineering capital of the United States. Throughout my time in Texas working in an allyl chloride plant, I learned a lot about the inner workings of a chemical plant and major control schemes. I discovered that I greatly enjoy working in a chemical plant and optimizing operations to make the plant run more effectively and to save money for the company. I was able to work on projects that were assigned to me and help reduce water intake to the plant to help save Olin money in fixed cost savings. In this role, I also learned more concepts of chemical engineering, like fluid mechanics and controls to help anticipate the results of changing flows or pressures within the chemical process. I learned that this is something that I would love to do as a full-time employee after graduation. Because of this experience, I am going to continue working hard to keep my grades up so that I can continue to work in a chemical plant. This co-op also made me realize that I need to pay attention in my fluids class so that when I return in the fall of 2025, I have more background knowledge to apply to the plant, and, hopefully, be more helpful in day-to-day operations. In addition, this experience has also made me realize that a big part of my life and support group are my family and friends. During my time in Texas, I have been more homesick than I have ever in my life, but because of this, it has led me to appreciate the time in person that I spend with them. Due to this appreciation, I have set a personal goal when I am with them this summer to savor all the little moments because when I go back to Texas in the fall, I will miss those small interactions the most.
