Ashlea Krupa
	Chemical Engineering
	Bioengineering
	Class of 2014

Hometown: Johnston, Pennsylvania

High School: Richland High School

Extracurricular Activities: University Relations Homecoming Captain, UTREE Mentor, THON, Engineering Ambassadors, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Women in Engineering Program, Society of Women Engineers

Internship/Co-op Experience: PBS Coals

Why did you choose to come to Penn State? Ever since I can remember I loved Penn State. Both my parents and two of my older sisters are Penn State alumni. My family has season tickets to football games so I grew up spending almost every Saturday during the fall at Penn State. But it’s more than just my family that attracted me to attend school here. The student pride, the beautiful campus, the incredible academics, and all the opportunities Penn State offers made it truly one of a kind and the only school that really had everything I could want for my college experience.

What has been your best memory as an engineering student? My favorite memory as an engineering student was having the opportunity to go to Shanghai Jiao Tong University this past summer. I had the chance to teach graduate and undergraduate students about effective presentation methods for engineering talks. The whole experience was incredible but my favorite part was being able to go into Shanghai and experience the Chinese culture and the city’s beauty with students from my class.

What advice would you give a first-year engineer? The advice I would give to first-year students would be to get involved and to attend classes. Penn State has so much to offer that you can continue something you already love or discover something you never even thought of that you will love. Essentially whatever it is you like or want to do, you will have that opportunity to find it here if you get involved! And the more you get involved the more people you have a chance to meet. Also, it seems simple but it really is important to attend classes. It allows you to stay on track with course work, as it will move quicker than high school classes. When you go to class you also realize if the material makes sense to you and if it does not you can get help right away as opposed to falling behind and not understanding something the night before the test with no one to help.

What do you plan to do after graduation? To be honest, I am not sure what I would like to do after graduation. I have thought a lot about working in industry with consumer products or continuing to further my education. The great thing about engineering is how many different doors and paths it opens up so I do not need to know for sure right now exactly what I want to do as there are many options.

What has been your best experience outside of engineering at Penn State? Without a doubt my best experience at Penn State outside of engineering would be THON. I knew from the moment I saw my first THON video at a freshman orientation event that it was something I absolutely wanted to be involved with. I was very lucky and had the chance to be on a morale team. I had watched all the videos and heard all the stories, but nothing truly compared to the feeling I had being there on the floor with my dancer and all the kids during the weekend. It is definitely an experience I will never forget especially the feeling when the final total was revealed.