Around this time last year, I thought I knew what I was doing.

I graduated high school with a

high ACT score, high IB Diploma score, and high GPA, with many comments directed at me
about how “UW is easier than the IB Diploma Programme.” I also was determined to join the
HCDE department, since I became immersed in product design and engineering through the IB
Design Technology class I took in high school. By all the conventional metrics, I was ready for
college. However, looking back at my first year, it’s clear that it took much more time and effort
than I was prepared for to succeed at UW and adequately explore majors.

In fall quarter, I succeeded in MATH 124 and HCDE 210 (my first attempt at major exploration
beyond ENGR 101), but I had trouble adjusting to the fast pace of instruction and stumbled in
CHEM 142. In winter quarter, my troubles adjusting turned into debilitating anxiety. In my
successes in high school, I had taken for granted the support system that made it easier for me
then, and now that it was out of reach, I felt despondent. I got back on track during spring
quarter, where I balanced three tough online classes and got on the Dean’s List. However, I
seemingly succeeded more in the classes that involved me doing the design-related work that
interested me while more often struggling in the science and math classes that were necessary
towards placement. I was equally intrigued by what I was learning in all of them, yet grades in
foundational STEM courses weren't high enough to reflect that. I wondered whether I truly
belonged in engineering.

Of course, my major exploration went beyond classes. I got involved in Engineers Without
Borders as a UX designer to explore that role. I snuck into MSE 520 lectures as a way to see
what Materials Science research was like. I even picked up an on-campus job as a designer at
The Daily when the year started. As I went through these different major exploration
experiences, however, I repeatedly became complacent. I felt like I was stagnating, repeating
the same things that I had learned in my design classes across multiple projects. What’s the
point of going to college without widening my skill set and tackling intellectually challenging
subjects? My low grades in these subjects didn’t have to be signs of failure, instead indicators
that I wasn’t done adjusting to college. These challenges didn’t have to be negative.

The idea of majoring in Mechanical Engineering was in the back of my mind throughout the
year, but I started considering it seriously during winter quarter. After talking to HCDE
undergraduates (including my E-FIG leader), I was sure that HCDE wasn’t the direction I wanted
to take, as I wouldn’t get the physical product prototyping opportunities that I hoped I would.
Furthermore, my undergraduate/alumni connections in ME and my ENGRUD adviser convinced
me that I could explore more of my interests there while setting myself up for success in
whichever field I work as a product design engineer in, whether it’s tech, biotech, or something
else entirely. Around this time, I joined HuskyADAPT and got involved in their toy adaptation
events, where I modified toys so that they’re accessible to children with disabilities. This
satisfied my itch for an experience that combined human-centered design with hands-on
engineering work, and I got to put my skills into service. I loved it so much that I joined their
executive team as a Communication Chair, helping run and promote our toy adaptation and
design events.
My major exploration process convinced me that while I still want to be someone who creates
products with a human-centered design mindset, I also want to dive into the challenging
physics, mechanical design, materials, and manufacturing concepts that will leave me with a
better understanding of how everyday objects work. It’ll only make me a better designer and
engineer after I graduate, as I seek to inform design work with engineering knowledge and push
the boundaries of how things are designed, made, and interacted with. ​I believe that the
Mechanical Engineering major will give me the best opportunity to build my technical
knowledge, dive deeper into topics like nanoengineering, advance research in the department
and, overall, supplement my future in real-world product design/development roles. It will
challenge me beyond what I experienced freshman year, but that’s the point. The hardest path
is often the most enriching.