Steffi was first inspired to pursue engineering from watching Mythbusters. She thought it was cool that they were able to use their engineering skills to test out ideas and better understand the world, and ended up becoming interested in Electrical Engineering as a result.
Life at UIUC
Favorites: Steffi’s favorite thing about UIUC is the people. Even though she was nervous about making friends as a freshman, she realized that it’s easy to talk to people in her classes, start conversations, and make new friends.
Why she chose UIUC: Steffi says that the postcard she received from Women in Engineering while she was looking at colleges really sparked her interest. She also liked that UIUC has a huge Electrical Engineering department because it would give her the opportunity to meet lots of new people.
Student Organizations
Steffi is on the marketing staff for Pulse, the ECE department’s tech conference. She is also a member of the Illini Swim Club.
Extracurriculars
This past summer, Steffi interned with a smaller company in a software engineering role.
After Graduation
While she is still unsure of exactly what she wants to do, she knows that she wants to go into the industry after graduation.
Being a Woman in STEM
Steffi’s WIE Orientation mentor and the other women in her group helped her to realize early on in college that there are people who are around to support you on campus and that you always have someone to reach out to.
Advice to Freshmen
Steffi’s advice is to ask lots of questions – people on campus are always willing to help you if you reach out!
