Alumni Network

Alumni	Advice for a freshman entering Penn State?	One thing EON taught you?
Katherine Morgan Chemical Engineering Ingersoll Rand in Atlanta, GA / Technical Sales Board: 2013-2015 kpm5198@gmail.com	Take advantage of every opportunity that the university has to offer! Penn State is known for having several opportunities concerning academics, research, internships, clubs, leadership positions, athletics, study abroad, etc. etc. I personally joined several engineering clubs and boards as well as co-oped/ interned five times!	EON taught me that networking is key. You will learn that networking with professionals is vital in finding a career fit for you, but networking among peers and classmates will open several doors for you within college as well. Not only will you make great friends, but fantastic teammates for the future too. EON introduced me to new chemical engineers who ended up being my project partners senior year. Being involved in the leadership of EON also helps you meet fellow successful students with a passion for mentorship and leading.
Amy Bodnar Chemical Engineering Unilever / Associate Process Engineer Board: 2013-2015 Amy.Bodnar@unilever.com	Use upperclassmen as resources! You can meet them by joining professional organizations for your major. They have been through the challenges of engineering and they can answer questions about what classes to take, internships and co-ops, and miscellaneous advice.	EON has really taught me that if you put the time and effort in, you can make a huge impact. When I first started participating in EON, the organization was just getting started. In the past few years, we have been able to make the organization more beneficial for mentees, mentors, and sponsors. I’ve been lucky to work with EON board members that really worked hard to make all the changes possible!
Madison Temples Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. Pre-Candidate, University of Florida Board: 2015 templesmadison18@gmail.com	The best adivce I believe is to have a strong support group of friends. It is important to make reliable and long-lasting freindships with those in your classes in order to study and do work together. These friend groups will last throughout college and it is important to have friends that you can go to when you need helo and they can do the same.	EON taught me many skills but I believe it taught me networking skills the best. I was able to form relationships with many other student in different majors, some with students who graduated before and some who graduated after. I was also able to netowrk with our sponsors and many different professors. As a director, I spent time with our adviser and form a relationship with him; I also spent time with the professors who spoke at some of our events.
Braden Garrison Civil Engineering Transportation Engineering Consulting / Staff Engineer Board: 2015	Take every opportunity you get.	Stand out as a leader and you will be noticed.
Ryan Burke Aerospace Engineering GKN Aerospace / Manufacturing Engineer, Leadership Development Program Board: 2015	Meet as many people as you can. Your degree is valuable, but the friendships are priceless. Join every club that you have interest in.	Networking is very important with your peers, professors, and especially potential employers. Find a mentor and be a mentor! You get out of it what you put in it.
Nick Gruber Chemical Engineering Naval Nuclear Laboratory at the Bettis Labs Site in West Mifflin, PA / Chemical Engineer Board: 2013-2014 Nickagruber@gmail.com	Get involved with clubs and take advantage of all the opportunities you can. Try something you’ve never done before but have always wanted to. Penn State is the perfect place to have those awesome experiences.	I was involved in the first EON back in 2011, and the most important thing I learned from the experience was the importance of having a mentor who you can ask questions to and get advice from. You aren’t on your own as a freshman. There are tons of students and faculty who would love to help, and all you have to do is ask.
Rosemary Hwang Architectural Engineering SmithGroupJJR in Washington DC / Mechanical Engineer Board: 2014	Get involved. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and explore.	There’s plenty of resources around. Ask for help when you need it.
Cara Suni Mechanical Engineering GKN Driveline, International Graduate Programme in Redditch, England / HR Board: 2014 cara.suni@gmail.com	Eat all the creamery ice cream you can!! No but on a serious note… Penn State is such a diverse and amazing place, make sure you use the time there to meet people that are different form you, learn new ideas & opinions, and try things you’ve never tried before. Learning about engineering isn’t the hard part – it’s learning about yourself that’s the challenge!	As a part of EON I was the networking director which gave me a lot of exposure working with companies and networking with recruiters. This was great for me because it made me a lot more comfortable with recruiters and allowed me to network on behalf of EON and myself at the same time… this gave me a lot of confidence, and helped lead to my position with GKN post graduation.
Robert Chisena Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Pre-Candidate, University of Michigan Board: 2013 rchisena@umich.edu	Enjoy being a freshman, make a lot of friends, work hard, play IM sports, and have as much fun as you can.	How to be a leader and how to talk with people.