Michael is a senior in Industrial Engineering from the Northwest side of Chicago. Among many incredible accomplishments, Michael has worked at SpaceX, Tesla, and Apple. He is a member of PESC, a former Senator for the College of Engineering, a member of Purdue Solutions, and a Purdue Engineering Ambassador.

In high school, Michael was torn between his top three choices of universities. He visited Purdue first, and an IE Ambassador showed him around campus. “She talked about how you can tailor your college experience to meet your own needs,” says Michael, “I saw students belonging to a community and receiving support– people being able to work towards big dreams. I canceled my visits to the two other schools.”

Michael chose to pursue an IE degree because he enjoyed the type of thinking that was involved. “In IE, there are multiple moving components at one time, kind of like an orchestra. Different parts don’t function individually, but you can make them work together… It gives me flexibility for my career,” he says. “I could do anything with this degree.”

Several role models in his life have helped shape Michael’s academic and career aspirations, “Seeing my brother Matt– who's two years older than me and went to a different university– take such ownership of his college experience through taking courses, working co-ops, and doing research showed me a clear example of how to approach my own college experience. He established a groundwork for doing remarkable things that inspired me to take ownership and advantage of the opportunities at Purdue.

"That being said, being so involved in the Purdue community and traveling across the country on so many internships has been very challenging. I couldn't handle all of it without the support system provided by my parents. Their support has kept me positive, joyful, and energetic while moving from one professional or academic endeavor to the next. One of the most important things they do is believe in me and the goals I set for myself– that encouragement is so special and has never wavered!”

Michael’s advice to his younger self is to be less strict with his plans. “Take advantage of opportunities as they come up, even if they don’t fit the current mold of where you want to be. The dots will connect themselves.” His future aspirations include becoming an operations executive that leads the process of making life-changing products for people. Whether it is mass-producing electric vehicles at an affordable price or creating more accessibility to health data or education, Michael plans to make a big impact on the world.

Congrats to Michael for all his remarkable achievements! We are excited to see where his IE undergraduate experience takes him next!