What does being a Cornellian mean to you?
To me, being a Cornellian means sharing and upholding the same core values as Cornell throughout my professional and personal life.
Who inspired or influenced you during your time at Cornell?
The professors at Cornell were very influential. They made it a point to be equally supportive for DL students and on-campus students alike to the point where I felt inspired by them even though I never met them in person. One particular instructor was Wes Hewitt. He’s so accomplished and a systems modeling guru. But he is so down to earth and pleasant to learn from. I learned a lot from my courses with him, not just about SysML but also about humility. I also felt influenced by fellow classmates. They were very committed to excelling in their studies, and I found that encouraging.
What will you miss the most about Cornell?
I will miss the professionalism of and engagement with fellow engineers. In addition, everyone I worked with on projects or homework was driven, focused and reliable. It was very refreshing.
What surprised you most about your Cornell experience?
Since I was enrolled in a fully distance learning M.Eng. program that I was doing part time along with my full-time job, I was not expecting to connect with anyone and definitely not befriend anyone. To my complete and pleasant surprise, I actually did make quite a few friends throughout the program who I still keep in touch with.
What accomplishment as a Cornell student makes you most proud?
Personally, completing the M.Eng. degree makes me the most proud. I started the program when my first child was only 4 months old while I was also working full time, and then I also had my second child a couple months ago. Juggling motherhood, my job, and the M.Eng. program was quite challenging, and I am proud that I was able to finish what I started.
What moments, big or small, made your Big Red experience special?
A moment that made my Big Red experience special was when we virtually made Rube Goldberg machines amidst the COVID-19 lockdown for SYSEN 5920. It was really fun to do and made full lockdown a lot more bearable.
What are your plans “Post Cornell”?
I am currently working as a model-based systems engineer for a defense contractor. I plan to use my Cornell knowledge and skills to grow in my role and further my career in systems engineering.
Arunabh Sarkar is a Systems Engineering M.Eng. candidate who was born in Roanoke, Virginia, but spent most of his life growing up in Pocatello, Idaho. Sarkar came to Cornell three years ago as a... Read more about Arunabh Sarkar, Systems Engineering M. Eng. '24
Nathan Preuss is a systems doctoral student from Leawood, KS. He earned his bachelor’s degrees in economics and computer science at the University of Oklahoma and now studies agri-food decarbonization... Read more about Enabling the selection of climate-smart policies to accelerate adoption of affordable decarbonization technologies
Nick Kunz is a Ph.D. student in systems from Seattle, WA. He earned his M.S. in urban planning, urban analytics from Columbia University, B.S. (honors) in housing & urban development from Arizona... Read more about Nick Kunz: "Don't be afraid to ask questions"
