Paris Weber: A Tight-Knit Community
In UW Tacoma's mechanical engineering program, Paris Weber found the intimate class size and connection to faculty she was seeking.
June 2023 update since this story was originally published:
Editor's note: We asked Paris to tell us what's next for her. We also asked her to talk about her experience at UW Tacoma and how she feels about graduating. We decided to use her responses in full.
I just recently passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and am waiting to receive my Engineer in Training (EIT) certificate. I am currently applying for jobs and am hoping to get a job around here before the end of the summer. I intend to work for four years and get my Professional Engineering (PE) license, but I would like to go to grad school after that. I still would like to explore the idea of working in academia. Maybe I will come back to UW Tacoma when they start a master’s program for mechanical engineering. 😊
UW Tacoma has been such a wonderful experience for me. My small cohort of ME colleagues and faculty have really made my experience so great. I worked on three research projects throughout my time here. I had the opportunity to present one of these projects at the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) conference last June in Minneapolis and published a paper for the same research (thank you Dr. Dillon). I became a teaching assistant this past year and led a junior level mechanical engineering seminar. It was so great to connect with the second cohort of ME students. I had the opportunity to be a student speaker at the Board of Regents meeting in Nov. 2022 and the legislative holiday party in Dec. 2022. I have grown so much as an individual during my time here and feel very prepared to tackle whatever life throws at me. This education has been priceless to me. I have made friends who became family. I have had INCREDIBLE faculty. All their knowledge, support, and dedication have prepared all of us to take on complex challenges. They provided all of us with so many opportunities and experiences that helped us grow as individuals and engineers. This education is one of a kind.
It is kind of surreal to be graduating. My time here has absolutely flown by; I can’t believe it has been two years. I am so grateful for this place and the people I have met and am so excited for what is to come for all of us. From every ending comes a new beginning.