Name: Danielle Roethlein

 

Hometown: Georgetown. PA

 

High School: South Side High School

 

Activities Outside of WEPO: Member of SWE and SWE THON (previous SWE THON Fundraising Chair), Public Relations Director of One Heart: PSU Students against the abuse of children, Member of Dear Hero Program, Member of Society of Petroleum Engineers

 

Internship/Co-Op Experience: Engineering Intern at Vulcan Oilfield Services

 

Why did you choose to come to Penn State? Penn State is known for engineering, and the staff here is 100% dedicated to helping me further my education and providing me with many opportunities to learn outside the classroom. ...and I couldn't pass up Penn State Football!

 

What has been your best memory as an engineering student? The first two years of college brought more challenges than I ever imagined facing, but during my junior year, something clicked. I was finally able to teach myself anything that I wanted to learn, and I enjoyed doing it. Seeing myself grow and feeling like I finally found my place has not only been one of the best experiences I've had as a student, but also as a person.

 

What has been your best memory as a Penn State student? Picking one is literally impossible, but I think I can manage to narrow it down to two:
1. The 2013 homecoming game against Michigan. After 4 OT, I actually cried and was thrown in the air when we won. Best game I've ever seen. (Thank God I didn't sell my ticket like I was planning to!!)
2. The Marine Corps/Navy birthday ball every year. Freshman year, I didn't know any of my boyfriend's friends in ROTC, but at this point, they're like my second family. I love looking back and seeing how close we've all become over the years. ...and getting all dressed up is a huge plus! If I didn't have a reason to buy pretty gowns and get my hair done each year, I'd definitely miss prom more than I do.

 

What advice would you give a first-year engineer? Be confident. Take every little insecurity that you have and flush it down the drain. Everyone starts college with a clean slate, so no one knows that you think your weakness is chemistry or calculus, and the only way they'll find out is if you let those thoughts control you. I learned the hard way that having negative thoughts will inevitably translate into getting bad grades. You will only be successful if you imagine yourself succeeding, and once you do that, the sky is the limit.

 

Give me one fun fact about yourself. I didn't know this until college, but apparently I am, what you might call, a country girl. All through high school I thought it was normal to have horses, drive a truck, carry hay bales, and have a tractor parade at your high school (No. I'm not kidding. We drove our tractors to school before prom every year to show them off). I've been late to work because cows have gotten loose and blocked our gravel roads. and I've ridden old rusted trucks through mud pits. ...and somehow I thought all of that was normal until I came to Penn State. So if any WEPOteers out there love country music and grew up in the middle of nowhere, I'm sure we'll get along great. ...if you prefer Ford over Chevy that is haha.

 

 

Danielle is a senior studying Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering.