Hey there! I'm Jaclyn!
I'm a Mechanical Engineering student at The University of Texas at Austin. I'm also pursuing a Design Strategies Certificate. I look for opportunities to better my skills in design thinking, product development, and engineering with every class and personal project. I love to create and innovate! My work is just a manifestation of my passion for design & engineering! In my free time, I play volleyball, run, read, paint, and bullet journal!
MY JOURNEY WITH DESIGN & ENGINEERING
My love for engineering started with my first engineering class in high school. Every day, I would come into class and receive an "Instant Challenge" We had 15-20 minutes to solve a problem with a set of random materials. Bridges made out of solely paper & tape. Gliders made out of paper towel rolls. That class quickly became one of my favorite classes as it challenged me to be creative, innovative, and think outside-the-box. The class ended with our final project, creating a discrete, compact, durable orphan drug carrying case for biopharmaceutical company Horizon Therapeutics. I got to work on a team, design solutions, prototype, manufacture, and present to the company. That project solidified my love for engineering and lead me to pursuing product development as a career.
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As I explored engineering and design in college, I became even more sure of my choice to pursue a career in Product Development. (I'm pursuing a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Design Strategies Certificate) I found my engineering classes to be super interesting and help me understand the mechanics of the world around me. My design classes gave me more experience with design and taught me a different way of thinking than typical engineers. All my classes and curriculum perfectly fit the kind of career I wanted, and I found them intriguing and fun.
In college, I got the opportunity to explore projects to explore my love of engineering and design through hands-on projects. I built a customized fidget spinner using CNC manufacturing tools. I competed in Create-a-thon 2022 and created an artistic tree-like lamp that won first-place. I got to take product development class Idea to Product to develop a assistive makeup brush for those with low-grip strength, exactly like the kind of work I want for my career.
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All these experiences heavily influenced my love for engineering, design, and product development. They have shaped me into someone who is sure she wants to pursue a career in product development.