This experience at the National Society of Black Engineers Conference has helped me understand both the struggles of what engineers go through and how to overcome those struggles. At the end of this experience, I was able to better understand what particular path I would like to go on in terms of my academic career. Although I am still unsure about specifically what I would like to do in the future, I have ultimately decided that Mechanical Enginnering would be the most interesting, the most compatible, and the most sensible major for me to pursue as of this moment. The reason why I say this is because often I find myself unsure about the choices or career paths that I would like to take; however, after speaking to many of the professional engineers at the conference, they ensured me that it is okay to not necessarily know what I would like to do in the future at this moment; they also ensured me that Mechanical Engineering is the easiest way to be able to almost any job that you want within the engineering world since Mechanical Engineers learn how to do so many types of engineering within the major alone. This is why it is easy to do almost anything engineering related with a Mechanical Engineering background.
Overall, going to the conference has given me tools to succeed academically, friends who may become colleagues in the future and are currently valuable resources for advice, and guidance in terms of the pursuit for my career. I cannot wait to attend the conference next year, but instead as an executive officer for Santa Clara University NSBE Chapter!
