Name: Melissa Shallcross

 

Hometown: New Freedom, PA

 

High School: Susquehannock High School

 

Activities Outside of WEPO: SWE! I also love to draw and paint, play soccer and raquetball, and go on awesome adventures with friends whenever possible!

 

Internship/Co-Op Experience: This summer, I am interning at Pratt & Whitney in Middletown, CT as a Rotors, Vanes, and Blades Parts Family Design Intern. So far I've had an absolute blast!

 

Why did you choose to come to Penn State? Penn State has amazing opportunities for all of its students. When recruiters and companies read that name off the resume of a candidate for an internship or full-time position, they know that that student has had a great education, especially engineering students.

 

What has been your best memory as an engineering student? This summer, working at Pratt & Whitney, I dove straight into the working world. Between the people I've met, the skills I've acquired, and the things that I've learned about myself, I'd say my best memory is being offered the internship that helped to open my eyes to the future I strive for.

 

What has been your best memory as a Penn State student? My best memory as a Penn State student is drinking smoothies on the last dollar of my meal points, with one of my best friends that I met the first week of college, on my birthday, after my last final, on the last day of my freshman year of college, celebrating our success and the start of the summer!

 

What advice would you give a first-year engineer? Be outgoing!! Talk to the other people in your classes, especially at the beginning of school. Trust me, everybody is feeling just as awkward as you are! And once you do talk to them - start a study group for the class! Studying alone can be boring. Having others to study with keeps you motivated, on track, and gives you someone to bounce ideas off of when you're stuck on a problem!

 

Give me one fun fact about yourself. I've been playing the piano for eleven years and I taught piano lessons for five years!

 

 

Melissa is a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering.