Who am I?

PES Scholar - 2013, 2014 and 2015

Major: Electrical Engineering Graduation Year: August 2016 School: Wentworth Institute of Technology My area of academic emphasis is on motors and control in addition to electronics. I have taken additional electives in power system analysis and have been able to apply my knowledge in that area at Eaton Corporation as a Houston Experience Center Co-op. Through my experience at the Houston Experience Center I have also gained project management experience coordinating task completion with a variety of industries including: electricians, welders, and other skilled workers.

Why did you choose to study engineering and the power engineering field?

I chose engineering due to a natural desire to figure out how things worked and pleasure in taking things apart (even though they may not be able to get put back together!). My ability to succeed in calculus and physics in high school also pushed me into making the choice to study electrical engineering. I chose the power engineering field because of a family friend who emphasized the demand of power engineers; he himself a controls engineer in the industry. I also noticed how power engineering takes more than a 9 to 5 job in a cubicle in front of a computer; at times you need to go out and see what the problem is and that's where the fun truly begins. At my current role within Eaton Corporation, I have been involved in projects where a variety of equipment important to the utility industry has been installed. We provide application demonstrations for customers to view products in real life situations such as: panelboards, switchboards, low voltage assemblies, medium voltage assembles, medium voltage drives, soft starters, breakers, relays and transformers.

What do you love about the power engineering field? What excites you about being involved in the PE field?

I love the power engineering field because of how it has such a deep history and is rooted in tradition. While we struggle with new changes in technology such as electric vehicles, battery storage systems, and renewable energy, there is a need for a new generation of power engineers to work alongside the veterans to learn how to combine the new and the old. This duality is what helps drive my interest in the PE field. Power engineering is all over the world! The fact that power engineering is so crucial to society makes me proud to contribute to the future of the power and energy fields. Without power engineers, infrastructure would struggle to meet up with the increasing demand for power due to a rapidly increasing world population.

How has been selected as a PES Scholar impacted you?

Since I was selected to be a PES scholar my young career in engineering has truly taken off. Due to the scholarship I was able to go out of state to be a systems engineer intern at Duke Energy. For example, I was given the opportunity to dabble in electronics as a hardware qualification engineer for the Spring of 2015 where I worked part time. I was contacted on LinkedIn by a company called Eaton Corporation and the first thing they did was congratulate me on being a 2014 PES Scholar. From there they told me about a Fall 2015 co-op position in their electrical sector. I moved to Houston Texas to work at their Houston Experience Center (HEC). I have been helping to complete various projects including their Power Quality Lab, Motor Room, and Data Center. The HEC focuses on “pulling back the curtain” and offers customers an opportunity to perform hands-on training in multiple application environments and dive into operation of products; understanding the design, technology and installation practices of a product within that application. I was able to gain valuable experience and become a highly desirable candidate in many fields of engineering since then. Being a PES Scholar truly opens doors and in my case has helped me gain more and more responsibility with each new job. Companies value the scholarship on one's resume and trust that such individuals are motivated and skilled aspiring engineers. I strive to live up to that image everywhere I work.

January 2016