Extracurricular Activities
Mens Soccer Team at Oregon Tech, Part-time work at local engineering firm, Car/motorcycle enthusiast
A Little Bit About Me
My name is Sebastian, and this is my fourth and perhaps final year studying at Oregon Tech. I am an Oregon Native and have always been passionate about structures since my first time visiting the city of Portland. I spend most of my spare time these days either working on projects in the garage, mountain biking/fishing with friends, or self-studying various topics in structural engineering. I am also a part of the Men's Soccer Team at Oregon Tech, which takes up a lot of my time in the Fall and Spring seasons.
Why I Chose Oregon Tech and My Major
I chose Oregon Tech because of the opportunity of an athletic scholarship. I played soccer since I was very young, and it has always been a goal of mine to utilize this talent so I could go to college. Out of the schools that offered me a scholarship, I chose Oregon Tech specifically because of what I heard about the engineering programs. I had family friends and high school teachers who had heard great things about the Oregon Tech programs, and after I came on my visit to the campus, I knew it was the place I would like to study engineering.
My Influential Professors
The most influential professor I've had the pleasure of working with at Oregon Tech is Dr. Sean St. Clair. He has been known to be the Civil Professor to "weed people out of the program" by starting the early parts of the program very rigorously in terms of depth and amount of classwork. I must admit that in my first few classes with him, he was not my favorite professor. These early courses showed me how diverse and expansive the engineering field was, and that I would have to teach myself to self-study in order to excel in the world of engineering. However, later in the program he changed his teaching style to more relaxed and tried his best to connect complex topics to the basics of material sciences. Perhaps my favorite quality of Dr. St. is how he teaches from the perspective of an actual working engineer. He demonstrates shortcuts he learned while working in a firm, and focuses on the most relevant concepts to us, future engineers.
My Greatest Learning Experience At Oregon Tech
In high school, I never experienced an academic failure. I would describe all my high school classes as "unbelievably easy" compared to some of my college engineering courses. I was never truly challenged. I was never pushed to be the absolute best student I could be. My first major engineering class I took changed that. While preparing for my first big exam in that class, I did what I usually did. Studied for an hour or two the night before, reviewed some homework assignments, and went to bed early. But, as soon as the exam was handed to me, I knew I had failed it. In the following hours after the exam, I felt completely devastated over this exam. I doubted myself and questioned if engineering was really for me. I debated dropping out of the class and switching majors but ultimately decided that I would commit myself fully to becoming the best engineering student I possibly could for the duration of the class to see if I had what it takes. The next 6 weeks were truly triumphant. Some days I spent more than 8 hours in the library outside of class and soccer practice. The more time and effort I committed to my studies the better my test scores became. I managed to climb my way back to an A and was one of only two students in the class to do so. This event taught me the feeling of overcoming failure, and it serves as a reminder for myself of what I can do if I commit myself to something.
My Plans After Graduation
After graduating with my BS in Civil Engineering, I plan on gaining experience as a structural designer with a small-midsize firm somewhere here in the Pacific Northwest. After around four years, I plan on becoming a licensed Professional Engineer who is responsible for stamping project designs, ensuring they are completely safe and compliant with building codes. My long-term goal is to one day start my own design firm that has an emphasis on sustainability and creative solutions that include irregular building materials outside of the standard wood, concrete, steel, and masonry construction methods. I plan on researching this topic in a graduate program if I find the right opportunity in the next 10 years. Civil Engineering is a diverse profession that is committed to serving the public, as well as being innovative/sustainable in the pursuit of that endeavor. My overall goal in the course of my career is to do just that to the best of my abilities.