The Bridge - Issue 2, 2021 - 37

Student Profile
or conflated it with the feeling of success in general.
I didn't realize until later that I did like solving
problems, even if that realization felt very nerdy
to admit.
What do you love about engineering?
I love nitpicking a design and fine-tuning it until it
works seamlessly. I also really like looking at things
that have some kind of intuitive symmetry, or
solutions that are elegant and simple. My favorite
projects are those that require my full imagination and
usually involve writing some code, such as my FPGA
projects. You can tell I'm enjoying a project when I
have several barely-comprehensible sketches next to
me, I spend too much time making tiny changes to it,
or I lose track of time while working on it.
back to it later. " He was a very accomplished musical
professional, so at first it struck me as odd that he
was not constantly pushing through frustration and
stress to become successful.
What is the next BIG advance in engineering?
If the scientific community can get nuclear fusion
figured out, we could seriously reduce the effects of
energy generation (especially burning fossil fuels)
on the climate. However, if we want to tackle climate
change, there are a variety of political and economic
solutions that we could implement immediately.
I don't think we have to wait for a big advance in
engineering to solve this problem.
What is the most important thing you've
learned in school?
Hannah Schroeder takes a selfie with fellow Epsilon Epsilon
Chapter members.
What is your dream job?
I'm hesitant to pick a definitive or narrow field
right now. I tried that with music. At the moment, I
love learning about computer hardware, especially
processors, and I know I would find success in a
fast-moving industry. My dream job is one that is
exciting enough to keep me learning new things, but
comfortable enough so that I can have confidence in
my own work.
Whom do you admire and why?
I once told one of my high school music teachers
that I had been very frustrated with a passage of
music, but had kept practicing it anyway. He gave
me a funny look and said something similar to
" Why? If you're frustrated, put it down and come
After going through four years of engineering, I
have become more comfortable with being in new
situations or dealing with new information. When
you're a perfectionist with a long history of success
in very structured environments, discomfort in new
situations is normal, and even expected. Being
the President of a Chapter with zero established
structure definitely forced me to put my anxiety aside
and forge into unfamiliar territory, using my intuition
and guidance from others. I even discovered a
great deal of freedom in the ability to write the
rules yourself. Since then, I've gotten a lot better at
researching topics outside of class, picking up new
hobbies, and pushing myself outside my
comfort zone.
What advice would you give to other
students entering college and considering
studying your major?
Say yes to things as often as you can, even if they
are intimidating! My Physics 1 professor asked me
to do research with him my freshman year, and I
said no because it wasn't my field. I still regret that. I
was a freshman in Physics 1, nothing was " my field! "
Also, take the time to get involved! It will take effort
and may be uncomfortable, but you will pick up a
lot of second-hand knowledge not taught in class, as
well as make good friends and study buddies.
HKN.ORG
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The Bridge - Issue 2, 2021

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