I hope to use my degree to better the world in some meaningful way- figuring out how to collect plastic waste from our oceans for reuse or working on making energy production more sustainable and efficient. If I were to find my dream job, I would be improving solar panels to the point that they can effectively be widely implemented and used for roads in place of asphalt. Just think- enormous swaths of highway could be replaced by solar panels, gathering electricity for people across the country to use. My role in such a project? These solar panels would need a material with enough friction for vehicles to drive on safely while not having too rough a surface that dust and dirt would be collected and prevent energy collection. It would also have to big thick enough that large semi trucks wouldn't crush the technology. The road would also have to exist in segments that could be replaced in the event that a certain panel breaks or something similar. There are so many factors to consider, and the challenge of such a problem is alluring.
If I can re-collect your attention after that show of nerdiness, I'll tell you more about myself. I grew up as a military child. With my father in the U.S. Army, my family moved within three years of living in any single place. For this reason, I lived in three different countries (if you count Germany, which we left when I was a baby), three different states, and nine different homes before attending OU. This caused me to attend five different schools in six years. Despite the educational consistency this moving prevented me from having, I've always enjoyed school. In fact, I graduated from high school as valedictorian of my class. This stems from the fact that I loved reading as a child. I remember devouring as many books as I could until high school and other activities began to require more time and effort. My favorite book has always been Eragon by Christopher Paolini.
My favorite book series
Cooper, my dog!
I have two siblings and a pet beagle at home. Cooper is an adorable puppy who loves to curl up with members of the family. Over the winter break, he would burrow under the blankets to watch football with the family. Speaking of football, I am a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan. I've grown up following the NFL more than college football, though having back-to-back Heisman winners has piqued my interest. Though the last two years haven't been stellar for Packers fans, this year feels like the year. Just last night, they beat the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round. My fingers and toes are crossed in hope for a Super Bowl run.
A few other odds and ends: I enjoy hockey- my team is the St. Louis Blues- during the time of the year that football isn't on. I detest baseball. I'm also a bit of a nerd, so I play Magic the Gathering from time to time. I value having a few close, great friends over having multiple friends that I'm not particularly close too. Given this fact, I'm not a particularly big fan of social media. My favorite food is barbecue. I don't go to the movie theater very often, but I went to see The Last Skywalker. The last show that I watched a full season of was Jack Ryan. Yet, now that the semester is starting, I won't watch TV, except for sports, until the end of the semester.
I'm excited for this semester!
