麻豆果冻传媒

When Haley Smallwood of Oak Ridge first stepped onto 麻豆果冻传媒鈥檚 campus as a mechanical engineering student, she did so with her dream career in mind: to work on a design team for a high-end automotive company. She was excited to hit the ground running toward this goal with the opportunity of taking a graphics course during her very first semester.

鈥淲e learned to sketch in perspective and work with 3D software, and it assured me of my decision to study mechanical engineering,鈥� Smallwood said. 鈥淪enior design is amazing as well, getting to work on a project that relates to my interests with a team that shares my interests and just being shown the whole process of designing and pitching an idea that you and your team started from scratch.鈥� 

She graduated this past May with her bachelor鈥檚 in mechanical engineering with a concentration in vehicle engineering with cum laude honors. Smallwood recalls her favorite project of her undergraduate studies came out of her Dynamics of Machines class. She was assigned to a team and given the project of redesigning a mechanical horse used for hippotherapy 鈥� a type of physical therapy using horseback riding to improve coordination, balance and strength in a patient.

鈥淭he final product was beyond what I had imagined, and my team and I had put so much effort into the horse that I was a little teary-eyed when we handed it over to the clients,鈥� Smallwood said. 鈥淓very time I think back on it, I am overwhelmed with how proud and accomplished I feel. If I had any doubts about wanting to go into design before that project, they would have vanished.鈥�

Smallwood says her time at Tech has improved her confidence in her abilities, especially by giving her the tools to solve problems herself without relying on step-by-step instructions by professors.

鈥淭he professors are wonderful and incredibly encouraging, and more than willing to answer questions but still pushing us to use our own ideas,鈥� she said. 鈥淗aving had so many opportunities to essentially 鈥榙esign鈥� my own solutions has been a wonderful experience, and while I still sometimes struggle with moving forward without instruction, I have an understanding of how I can lay those steps out for myself.鈥�

Smallwood now plans to head into graduate studies for industrial design at Tech 鈥� the only university she applied to when she graduated high school, even though she had multiple options as to where to continue her education.

鈥淚 really liked Tech when I started looking into it,鈥� Smallwood said. 鈥淭he engineering program was known for its excellence, and better yet, it's a small college. The appeal was instant, and my decision was supported more when we were able to tour the campus. I know a lot of people like to fluff the appeal of small colleges and how 鈥榶ou're not just a number here,鈥� but I've found at Tech that is actually true. I've had so many professors express genuine interest in helping me succeed in my career, and I am very happy I chose Tech all those years ago.鈥�