Finding Out that Drexel Is Where I Belong

Choosing to come to Drexel in the fall of 2016 has been one of the best decisions of my life. When I graduated from high school, I was excited but mostly nervous for my college life to begin. I was nervous that I would not like my major, I would not make any friends, I would not like the campus, and that I would not adapt to living on my own for the first time in my life. These are the thoughts that run through every college freshman's head at least once, if not many times, at the beginning of their college journey. However, I quickly realized that there was no need to be nervous about any of these things. I realized that Drexel was where I am meant to be.

My first classes at Drexel were all with people in my major, Design and Merchandising, and I was very intimidated by my professors, my peers, and the classes in general. Most of my classes were small, so there was a lot of time for everyone to quickly get to know each other. I am so happy that I was in a setting like this because in a short couple of weeks, I was becoming close friends with the people in my major, learning so much from my professors, and loving everything about my classes and Drexel. Halfway through my first term at Drexel I realized that I had never really felt like I had belonged anywhere before, but now I felt like Drexel was where I belonged.

A year later, I am best friends with those people in my major and Drexel is my home. I could never imagine my college life any differently; I love everything about my major, my professors, my friends, my peers, and Philadelphia. I have also joined a couple of clubs, and I am in a sorority. Choosing to come to Drexel has surrounded me with the most amazing people, experiences, and opportunities; and it is these people, experiences, and opportunities that I will have with me for the rest of my life.

Drexel has also allowed me to grow so much as a person. I feel like there is no better college setting for me, and I feel like I could never have grown into the person that I am today if I was not at Drexel. Everyone that I have met at Drexel is passionate about what they do or what they are aspiring to do in the future. It is a great environment to push yourself into being the best person that you can be. Finding where I was always meant to be, and starting my journey to my future is exciting and I am just thankful every day that I go to the most amazing university.

Julia Krawiec (Class of 2020) is a Design & Merchandising major from Oxford, PA.

Finding your passion on an international scale

I became a Global Studies major in my sophomore year at Drexel, a decision I will forever look back on as one of the best choices I've made in my young academic career. With my new major, I specifically remember that the opportunity and requirement to take language classes again was an exciting part of that change. At the moment I decided to take the leap into Global Studies, I wasn't aware of how important language study was to me, academically and personally. After a year away from studying Spanish, I found myself missing that incredible mental challenge. Suddenly, Global Studies presented not only an outlet for me to advance my second language but an outlet to incorporate study abroad into my degree in a way that would benefit me personally, professionally, and academically.

With these ambitions in mind, I decided I would spend my entire pre-junior year abroad in Madrid, Spain. After only two terms of Global Studies courses complete and very little idea of how I wanted to shape my future career within the field, I jetted off to achieve my goals and hopefully answer some questions in my nine months of studying and working abroad.

I left Spain this past May feeling bittersweet but very accomplished after a year that turned out to be just as necessary and beneficial as I had set out for it to be. I knew I would need those nine months and I embraced every opportunity to learn, immerse myself and challenge myself like I never had before. An area in which I really watched myself grow was within my internship position. Through EPA (Educational Programs Abroad), I was placed with an international development consulting firm and ended up extending my placement far into the second semester.

Something that most international relations students often deal with is the overwhelming map of directions in which to engage ourselves and form a career. And at times, all seem equally fascinating and fulfilling. What I most emphasize from the Global Studies perspective of study abroad is the benefit of taking any opportunity to work internationally as an undergrad. Working in another language or not, the experience of being a student and seeing the possible future work environment in a foreign country hands-on is invaluable. For me, it provided a very real scope into career paths and roles I could identify with.

Caitlin Cooper (Class of 2018) is a Global Studies major from Lancaster County, PA.

Absolutely Surreal

After coming to Drexel in the fall of 2014 through the Liberty Scholars program, I was determined to make the University my new home. Although my family was right down the street and willing to help with anything and everything, I decided to not go to them for everything to establish my independence. This was easier said than done of course. I oftentimes ran into common issues of navigating the academic abyss such as the most typical one of a freshman: "how to find good food?" But after a few weeks, I did get adjusted and I then set out to make some new friends.

I wanted to connect with other students from a similar place of understanding as myself. People whose lived experience and habitus would be very similar to or even the same as mine. Hence, I started to look for a Black student organization on campus where this dream of connecting with others with a similar world view would come true. It was much to my dismay to find that such an organization did not exist on campus. This longing for such an organization went on to my sophomore year. So, I decided to stop waiting for someone else and follow the slogan of my alma mater Boys' Latin Charter School and be the "architect of my own fortune" by founding the Black student organization at Drexel. In this case, an organization with a ton of very successful students discussing very personal issues (i.e., facing racism, addressing media misrepresentation of people of color). I already had experience founding a club at Drexel from my freshman year when my close friends Nino Avreyski, Wayne Bischoff, and I founded the Drexel Rotaract Club of Rotary International. So I knew all of the proper steps to take to make it happen as swiftly as possible.

The following month after I came up with this grand idea, the Drexel Black Action Committee was founded. It was a ton of work to get the organization fully functional, but I was able to do it. In regards to our events though, it took a ton of creativity, ingenuity, and innovation to have them, with a new event every week. It was only through the help of a ton of future leaders that these events were possible. My founding board helped me significantly with organizing these events. The founding board included eleven people: Kiera Wynder, Alexis Martin, Amber Rockson, Isaac Singleton, Che Benjamin, Stephen Bady, Mariah Hicks, Jailyn Poindexter, Kris James, and myself. We hosted prom dress giveaways for underprivileged young women, did a clothing drive for Haiti after their infamous 2016 hurricane, attended Philadelphia City Council Criminal Justice Reform testimonials, and much, much more. It was all of this hard, selfless work that allowed us to be featured on local and national television time and time again.

To date I've been hailed by the University's previous and current provosts, Dr. James Herbert and Dr. Brian Blake, as a dynamic leader. I've been honored as an ambassador to the trailblazing State Representative Margo Davidson Esq., and even assigned to be the College Student Recruiter for Drexel University's State Representative, Ms. Donna Bullock Esq. Most proudly, I was publicly honored by the best attorney in the entire state of Pennsylvania for the last decade, Mr. Thomas Kline Esq. on Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) for a district attorney debate I set up with Dean McGovern at the Drexel Kline School of Law.

Looking back on my freshman year when I was a timid young man I would not have thought any of this was possible. But because of someone believing in me enough to give me the Liberty Scholars full-tuition scholarship, I was able to have a high level of confidence and sense of value instilled in me that allowed for me to pursue my dreams. I am forever thankful for Drexel, and the Liberty Scholars program in particular, for providing me with the opportunity to do so much over the last three years in my 21 years of life. For it has been an amazing platform and spring that has propelled me forward on a trajectory of much success.

Shahmar Beasley (Class of 2018) is a Political Science major from Philadelphia, PA.

I Walked onto a Division I athletic team

Throughout high school I always dreamed of being a college athlete. I wanted to be the person who wasn't just someone who was "pretty athletic" in high school. I wanted to be the epitome of what it meant to be a true competitor and master the John Wooden pyramid of success. I didn't think this dream was going to come to fruition, though, coming into and through the summer after my senior year of high school. While I was a 5-sport varsity athlete, I wasn't a standout all-star in one particular sport. I knew how to win, but I wasn't the one getting all of the individual accolades.

When I came to Drexel for summer orientation prior to starting my freshman year, this all changed. I was approached by one of the men's rowing team coaches, who asked if I was interested in trying to walk onto the team after finding out that I had an extensive athletic background. This event gave me an opportunity that I had all but given up.

After training with the recruited athletes through the fall of freshman year, I was able to beat out some of the recruits for a seat in the 2012-2013 men's freshman 8+. Beginning in this event, I have had unparalleled success through my junior year of eligibility. That success has resulted in now holding the all-time Drexel record for most Dad Vail Regatta victories (largest collegiate regatta in the world), hopefully to be made an unbeatable record next year, and finishing in the top-20 teams in the country each of my three years thus far (12th, 17th, and 20th, respectively).

I have been fortunate to have been part of many great crews, and I cannot take all of the credit for the crews' successes. Regardless of what event I have been participating in, I have always had eight other brothers who were all working just as hard as I was. And at every step of the way, our team has also been supported by our coaches, athletic department staff, and to a very significant level by the school administration. Without any of these components, our success would not be nearly as significant as it has been.  I have many friends who are members of collegiate programs, rowing and otherwise, and I have not heard of any who have a school so unified in their support of the program. My teammates and I are most grateful for this.

Dave Hanrahan (Class of 2017) is a Finance major from Mullica Hill, NJ.

I Got to Earn a Triple Degree

When I first chose to study at Drexel, I initially decided to study not business, but biomedical engineering. I was convinced that I wanted to be involved in the R&D processes of the next big breakthroughs in the medical industry. This stemmed from both a personal interest in the sciences and a natural proclivity for mathematics and engineering topics. As I progressed through my freshman year, I greatly enjoyed all of my coursework, but I went through a unique change of mind during spring term of that year. While taking a course examining the nature of startups and how early companies initially have life breathed into them by investors, I made a significant mental connection. I began to see that there is much more to the success of a venture than simply creating a superior solution to a problem.

This insight flipped a switch in my mind. I began to not just believe in the significance of the projects I was working on, but also to see how they fit into the larger picture of scientific development. Where before I was focused on my immediate interests, I could now no longer keep my mind from making connections between the many innovations I saw in many different areas.

Unfortunately, this inability to focus on just one project created a unique problem. But LeBow offered me a solution to this problem that I believe is just as unique. Through working with the LeBow staff, I was able to develop a plan of study that has allowed me to continue to pursue my interest in product development. Instead of leading the R&D aspect of products, I am now involved with the investment side of early-stage startups. Where before all of my time needed to be tied up in one project, I now have the ability to have a hand in many different projects simultaneously, essentially acting as a connector, that is, someone who connects individuals with similar needs and solutions.

Just as the scope of my course-related projects expanded, the same pattern repeated itself in my primary academic studies. When I initially transferred from the School of Biomedical Engineering to the LeBow School of Business, I changed my major to finance. But in the two years since then, I have continued to broaden my academic focus to include three separate majors: finance, accounting and legal studies. Each of these give me a unique set of skills and a different approach that enhances my analytical abilities when examining the potential of investment opportunities.

My path to LeBow College of Business has been unique. I do not expect every student to follow the same path that I did, and honestly, I think it would be philosophically wrong to try to replicate my experience. Each of our lives will follow a unique pattern, with no two people having the exact same experience. That is where I think Drexel provides the most value to its students. Rather than trying to fit everyone into a single mold, it acts as a catalyst. Drexel provides the students the support and infrastructure they need to go through the process of developing their own ideas and passions, with the guidance of faculty and staff who have gone through that same process themselves.

Because of the experiential learning opportunities I have had while at Drexel, I understand not just how to approach a specific set of problems, but how to break down every problem into its basic components and collaborate and build off of others to create the best possible solution to that problem.

Dave Hanrahan (Class of 2017) is a Finance major from Mullica Hill, NJ.

My First Week of Co-op

Well, after a very demanding 20-credit winter quarter, the moment I anticipated since applying to Drexel finally arrived — my first day of co-op. After a much needed spring break spent with friends, I was very eager to begin my first of three co-ops. Having been in classes for over a year, walking into the Jacobs engineering office on Monday morning was almost a surreal experience. While this is not my first time working at an engineering firm (I interned at a Civil Engineering firm in Seattle during the summer after my freshman year), it definitely felt exciting to walk into a building that I will be spending the next six months working at.

After I was introduced to my team and set up my desk, it began to become real to me that I actually have the ability to contribute to a real company and get a glimpse of what the future may hold, which is truly an extraordinary opportunity.

While the first few days were slow, work has really been picking up. Although I'm only in my second week of work, I already have multiple projects I am working on simultaneously. The major project I am working on is creating an interchange between Interstate 95 (I-95) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This multi-phased, multi-million dollar project has been ongoing for over fifteen years and is actually the last highway project in the country to be financed under the Federal-highway act of 1956. In short, when I-95 was created, it was intended to be a superhighway that ran continuously from Florida to Maine. However, residents of Princeton and New Brunswick, N.J. did not want a freeway running through their counties, and thus, the highway was made discontinuous; there is a “missing link” in I-95 between New York City and Philadelphia. Additionally, there is no interchange between the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) and I-95, one of the only instances in the country in which two interstate highways intersect without an interchange. This is the project that I will primarily work on throughout my co-op here at Jacobs Engineering and I have already learned so much about Transportation Engineering in the week I have been here.

I have quickly realized that even though the theory behind engineering is incredibly important, there is an immeasurable value in having practical skills in your particular field by graduation, something that Drexel clearly recognizes and addresses through the co-op program. While it's only been a week, I've truly enjoyed my time as a working man, and I am very eager to continue learning both technical and practical skills through my time at Jacobs.

Albert Hanan is a Sophomore at Drexel University studying architectural engineering with a minor in business administration. Originally from Seattle, Washington, Albert is a member of the Pennoni Honors College as well as the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. When not in class or studying, Albert enjoys hiking, playing basketball, and playing guitar.

Summer Days in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is an amazing city to live in year-round, but in the warmer months, everyone starts to venture out of their homes to explore everything the city has to offer! Everywhere you look there are fantastic events for the entire city to enjoy.

One of my favorite places to hang out in the summer months would be Spruce Street Harbor Park. Just at the edge of the Delaware River, the park has everything that would equate to a fun summer day. The park itself has plenty of trees and offers a ton of nice, cooling shade in addition to a copious number of hammocks to lounge around in! In fact, I have more than once gotten myself stuck in the hammocks. There are so many colors between the hammocks, overhanging flags, and colored lights. So at least I have beautiful things to look at when I get myself stuck and rolled up like a burrito.

In the daytime, you can have fun out on the water in a swan-shaped paddle boat or canoe! They also have one lone Dragon-shaped paddle boat. Being Drexel Dragons, this is the boat that my friends and I always fight over. At night, you can sit in nets that overhang the edge of the river or you can sit up on the grassy knolls enjoying some ice cream from the Franklin Fountain.

Right down the river walk from Spruce Harbor Park is Penn's Landing. In the winter, Penn's Landing has a beautiful outdoor ice skating rink. Now that we are in the summer months, they have turned it into a roller rink and fair grounds! They have everything you could ask for: a Ferris wheel and other small rotating rides, carnival games, and a small arcade! I also can't forget about the Chickie's and Pete's. Nothing says summertime fun like Chickie's and Pete's and riding a Ferris wheel. My priority when I am there is always crushing my friends at pinball. I'm a regular customer of the Lord of the Rings pinball machine inside the lodge area.

And so, if you are looking for ice cream, paddle boats, fair grounds, or Lord of the Rings pinball, Philadelphia is an amazing city to spend the summer in. Even if you aren't interested in any of my weird hobbies and likes listed here, there is easily something for everyone in this city! Visiting these locations is a great way to leave campus for a little bit to go exploring. One thing is for sure, you will never find yourself bored while living in Philadelphia.

Annie is a pre-junior at Drexel University. She is a part of the 5 year, 3 co-op Nursing program and will be graduating in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She has spent her first two co-ops working at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and hopes to work there upon graduating. Annie has been familiar with Drexel University from a young age as both of her parents are alumni. Outside of school, she enjoys photography, spending time with family and friends, and interacting with prospective students interested in studying at Drexel University.

Experiencing City Hall

As a student in the Pennoni Honors College, I am fortunate enough to get opportunities that would not otherwise be available to me. One of these opportunities is the Honors Colloquia course, a specialized class on a topic I would not get to learn about otherwise. Every term there are different colloquia offered, but this term I was lucky enough to get into a class about one of the most iconic sites in Philadelphia that I am very eager to learn about: City Hall.

The goal of the class is to teach students about the history, architecture, and politics of Philadelphia City Hall, the largest active municipal building in the country. Not being a Philadelphia native, City Hall was one of the most striking and impressive buildings I saw when first getting acclimated to the city. I recall being fascinated and almost awe-struck by the building's size and the attention to detail, covered in sculptures on every facade. The height, the enormous statue of William Penn, and the clock on the face of the tower all combine to create a sense of admiration for the building. Who would think that two years later, I would be taking a course that delves into the details of the building's history, architecture, and politics.

Of course, no course about City Hall would be complete without a tour of the building, so just in the second week of the term, we were taken on a tour of City Hall, getting to see things I never would have otherwise. We were first taken around the outside of the building, seeing the four specific portals on each cardinal direction of the building. We learned that each entrance served a different purpose and was therefore given a unique design with the hope of inspiring different emotions when entering. When we entered the building, we were taken to the reception hall with its mahogany fireplace and portraits of past mayors lining the walls. We were then taken to Conversation Hall, a dramatic room once used for discussions among select councils and municipal legislature, now used for meetings and receptions. With great detailing throughout and a full-sized sculpture of George Washington at the front, the room is truly incredible.

No tour of City Hall would be complete, however, without getting to see the observation deck. We were taken up in groups of four through a small elevator to the panoramic deck enclosed with glass walls. Right below the bronze William Penn statue, we were able to see all of Center City and beyond. A truly breathtaking experience, it's amazing to think that only two years prior, I never could even fathom getting to see Philadelphia from that aerial and historic location through a class at Drexel, yet there I was, learning in the most hands-on way, 484 feet in the sky.

Albert Hanan is a Sophomore at Drexel University studying architectural engineering with a minor in business administration. Originally from Seattle, Washington, Albert is a member of the Pennoni Honors College as well as the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity. When not in class or studying, Albert enjoys hiking, playing basketball, and playing guitar.