Name: Sarah Markel

 

Hometown: Camp Hill, PA

 

High School: Cedar Cliff High School

 

Activities Outside of WEPO: CRU (Campus Crusaders for Christ), EHouse THON Committee, Engineering Orientation Network (EON) Mentor, Society of Women Engineers, AIChE

 

Internship/Co-Op Experience: N/A

 

Why did you choose to come to Penn State? I chose Penn State after I participated in SWE Stayover my senior year of high school. I was still deciding between Penn State and another school at the time. However, during stayover I fell in love with the campus and all the opportunities it could provide. I also really enjoyed the community that was established between all the women engineers something I had never seen at any other school I visited. Knowing that Penn State offered a great support system for women engineers and my passion for THON is what led me to make my choice and pick Penn State.

 

What has been your best memory as an engineering student? My best memory as an engineering student was creating and presenting an idea for a prototype that we developed in my e design class. Visioning a new technology, figuring out how to make it work and then presenting it was an exhilarating experience that really confirmed for me my passion for engineering.

 

What has been your best memory as a Penn State student? My best memory as a Penn State Student was the Penn State vs Michigan football game. I was with all my closest friends and the game was incredible. It was the moment I realized what it was to have school pride and spirit.

 

What advice would you give a first-year engineer? My advice would be that it is okay to ask for help. Many of us come from being the top of our classes and it's a new experience being humble enough to realize you need help. Although it can be scary to approach a professor to ask a question or go to office hours, the sooner you do the better the class and the semester will go.

 

Give me one fun fact about yourself. One fun fact is that I am a second degree black belt in martial arts.

 

 

Sarah is a sophomore studying Chemical Engineering.