EXPO and ASME!

This has been an intense week! Tuesday and Wednesday was the huge career fair called EXPO! I visited quite a few companies: Baker Hughes, Bechtel, GE, Jacobs Engineering, Caterpillar, Public Works for Houston, Evonik, Union Pacific Railroad. Almost everyone said, "oh you are a freshman, well cool that you are here, but we don't accept freshman". It was the response I expected, vbut it was nice getting the FaceTime and experience with the companies. Evonik was the only one that seemed genuinely interested in me, and I just applied online to their summer intern position. I also saw a company at EXPO, but didn't know anything about them so I didn't talk to them the first day and they were not there the second day. They are called Steger-Bizell, and they are a construction/infrastructure company located in Austin, and quite small. I called their office yesterday asking about an internship, and the receptionist got me to leave a voicemail for the President/founder! So nervewracking! The last company I really really really liked who wasn't at EXPO but spoke at the ASME meeting was Accenture! They are a consulting company, and their job is to go to other companies and improve their systems: whether it be through different machinery, a new computer program, how the company is structered etc. They do not accept freshman (of course) but I met with them and told them of my interest and they said try next year! As for now, I will be applying to companies online and seeing where that gets me!

Now time for the exciting part! All week I prepared to run for the position of Freshman Representative of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. There were six kids running and two positions available. We each had to give a 1-2 minute speech, followed by 2 minutes of questions, then we left and the group talked about us for 2 minutes. I was last to go on, so my nerves had definitely built up by that point! My hands shook the entire time, but luckily I knew a few familiar faces in the crowd and seeing them helped a lot. My friend Eric was actually blocked from my view by an Afro(hair), so Eric leaned way over in order to see me. When I saw him doing that, I almost started laughing, but it was nice knowing that my friends really support me! Anyways, all of the members of ASME had vote sheets and could choose two candidates. They turned in the vote sheets, and then we had weird meat pies for dinner. Near the end of eating the president announced the winners, "Katie Dennington and Jeremy Kien"!!! Ahhhhh! I got it! I am so excited! I get a fancy ASME polo shirt and a name badge! I was added to the officer email list, and our first officer meeting is next Wednesday! I will attend the Student Engineering Council meeting representing the freshman of ASME next monday! I can't wait. The officers in ASME seem really cool, which is why I decided to put more energy into ASME then SEC(as for right now). That's all for now!

Katie

OHHH chem test in t-minus 2.5 hours