Effective managers can assess complex situations, logically define objectives, create actionable tasks, follow up on progress, and adjust their approach over time. When engineers can apply these same management skills to the process of design, they can help lead projects in a more adaptive and goal-driven way. To this end, I have focused my MEM curriculum on 3 main areas: Design and Decision Optimization, Business Operations and Strategy, and Robotic and Mechatronic Systems.

My priority through MEM has always been directly building my knowledge about the process of design and how to break down hard technical decisions. Exploring the philosophy of human-centered design gave me frameworks for meeting real-world needs through design innovation, and as I studied decision optimization within aerospace, mechanical, and operations contexts, I gained confidence in developing approaches to new types of problems and quantifying tradeoffs between solutions. The courses I have taken in optimization and design decisions at Purdue have been some of the most challenging and interesting for me. These courses pull from engineering, economics, mathematics, and psychology to both define and solve open-ended problems, as well as anticipate biases that can arise from different approaches.

Exposure to the Krannert School of Management through classroom experience analyzing business operations and developing business strategies taught me above all how to think creatively and logically to meet business objectives. I am also grateful for my selection into a Krannert Experiential Learning Initiative (ELI) consulting project where I worked directly with a medical device startup to develop their go-to-market strategy for hospitals. This project forced me to think about the levers one has for making innovations adaptable and preferred in a marketplace. ELI also gave me practical experience conducting market research, listening to user feedback, and communicating effectively with high-level project stakeholders. These experiences have made me a more capable leader while developing my intuition and language around business objectives, which is invaluable in any role.

I appreciate that through Purdue MEM I have had access to the entirety of Purdue’s Engineering catalog, which I have used to delve deeply into a specific area that I think has a lot of applications for the future. Robotics is unique, as it involves heavy knowledge of mechanical engineering topics like dynamics and kinematics, while also requiring me to foster skills I had little exposure to previously such as software deployment, electrical design, and computer vision. The freedom given to MEM students to continue honing technical, multidisciplinary engineering knowledge is unparalleled. There is not only an ability, but an expectation, of signing up for both breadth and depth within the MEM curriculum.

To complement my learning in all these diverse areas, I completed a 7-month co-op rotation starting in my second semester with the Boston 3D printing startup, Formlabs. As a mechanical design engineer, I learned a lot about planning around material constraints, mass production methods, and engineering performance targets in concert with the overall goal of crafting seamless user experiences. This real-world practice was the perfect match for the skills I hoped to develop in MEM. I consider the connections, mentorship, and hands-on learning I got at Formlabs to be core to what I will take away from MEM as a whole.

Everyone who considers a MEM degree does so for different reasons, but that is the inherent power of our entire program. Diversity, and an overarching commitment to excellence, creates opportunities to learn from, and connect to, other Purdue students in ways that you don’t expect. I am “Ever Grateful” to the Purdue MEM community that has helped me grow the last 2 years. I look forward to wherever my career takes me after graduation this coming May knowing that I am well-prepared to stand out.