University of Washington Master's FAQ (Mechanical Engineering ONLY)

Engineering has always been my passion, I am good at math, and I want to continue my path of learning more about mechanical engineering where a master’s degree is my next step.

I would like to address my GPA. My current cumulative GPA is a 2.58, however; my last 90 credits add up to a GPA of 3.17. As for the reason my GPA is so low; in my sophomore year I struggled with my priorities. I prioritized work and clubs over my schoolwork. I found myself working more than I could handle and taking on more responsibilities within TrickFire Robotics, a robotics team at the University of Washington, Bothell. After a lot of reorganization, reprioritization, and overall recommitment I quit my part time job and the robotics team to focus on school. I am now a capable student who has been on the dean’s list for the last two quarters.

            The first introduction to engineering I had was in high school. I was talking with my father and his friend, who happened to be a mechanical engineer. The conversation was about what career I would like to pursue. His reply forever changed the way I look at mechanical engineering, “Mechanical Engineering is the Jack of all trades of the engineering world, you can do what you want with it.” From that moment on, I knew exactly what type of career I wanted to pursue. I watched documentaries about the space race, How It’s Made, and MythBusters. I talked to current mechanical engineering students and took classes related to mechanical engineering. At the NASA RMC, I learned about Mercury 13; a group of female pilots who qualified for NASA’s astronaut program but were wrongfully turned away because of their gender. These stories and more inspired me to become a mechanical engineer, not just for my current self but for the little girl inside me who did not think it was possible. This coming June, I will become the first in my family to graduate with a college degree. This also means I am the first in my family to pursue a master’s degree.  In order to eventually teach mechanical engineering at a university or even better become an astronaut; I eventually will need my Ph.D. and become the first doctorate holder in my family. A master’s degree will help open doors that were previously closed including doing research, testing, and becoming more marketable in general.

Diving into previous projects and experience with mechanical engineering and manufacturing. In my freshman year of college, I was a part of TrickFire Robotics. The team’s main goal was to teach not only club members, but the community, such as high school students, about the engineering process. The team achieved this goal by participating in the Robotic Mining Competition, held by NASA. The objective of the competition was to design and build a Mars rover that would mine the Martian surface for material and take the mined material to the mothership. I was on the team for two years. In my first year I just dipped my toes into the possibilities of engineering by designing, prototyping, and testing a wheel that would be used on the rover. In my second year I took a more administrative role, but still assisted in the manufacturing and design process. Another project I am proud of is the liquid fueled rocket I manufactured and designed with the assistance of a team of 40 other students and in association with Aerojet Rocketdyne. In this project, with the aid of mentors; I designed, prototyped, tested, and manufactured different pieces of the rocket. I oversaw a small team and assisted in testing the engine and recovery system, and prototyped and fabricated the ignition device, parachute, and fuel injector.  For a few projects I sometimes hit a wall. An example of this is during a school project we were tasked with finding the rate at which an HVAC system adds or removes heat from the conditioned space. We chose to use a Boeing 777-300 as our base model to try and solve for this problem. We wanted to assume as little as possible for this so, we searched on the internet until our sources dried up. From there we decided to start talking to engineers who work at Boeing. I took the initiative out of sending messages over Linkedin to try to reach out to engineers who work with the airplane we were using to base our calculations off.  After a zoom call and a few emails, we ended up getting the information we needed and then some.

The University of Washington has always held a special spot in my heart. From its vast and beautiful view of Mount Rainier to its gothic 19th century architecture, I regularly enjoyed visiting the campus. Regarding its graduate programs, I know that the UW has a wide variety of choices that I am interested in, including energy, energy storage, the environment, manufacturing, materials, control systems, HVAC, and robotics. If I were to be accepted to this master’s program, I know I would make a positive contribution to the research being done and to the community. To go into more detail, for control systems I enjoy finding the different strategies and controllers to change the outcome. For HVAC I love figuring out where the heat goes in a system. Whenever I look at a wall, I can’t stop myself from imagining how it’s keeping in the heat and out the cold. I’ve always loved robotics, I like making the different mechanisms, the design process, and the testing. I want to be there to create the next new material, I want to help solve the energy crisis that’s plagued us since the dawn of time, I want to make the next mars rover, and I will be there. The different projects and labs I’ve done have only made my love for mechanical engineering grow. I want to continue growing that knowledge, and I don’t ever want to stop. I want to dedicate my life to learning more about mechanical engineering and teaching the next generation when I retire from the industry and this degree is detrimental to that goal.