Alec Tanida
	Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering
	Class of 2012

Hometown: Simsbury, Connecticut

High School: Simsbury High School

Extracurricular Activities: Biomedical Engineering Society, American Society of Mechanical Engineers - Rube Goldberg Team

Internship/Co-op Experience: Gilead Sciences, Inc., W.L. Gore and Associates, Ethicon, Inc

Why did you choose to come to Penn State? I initially came into Penn State without any idea of what I wanted to do. The best thing about being at a big school like Penn State is that there are so many opportunities to explore different career paths. Another reason I chose Penn State is that there are so many clubs and extracurriculars to get involved in. In the past I have played club baseball, participated in volunteer trips to West Virginia and Washington D.c. and gone to academic conferences. These are opportunities my friends at other schools haven't even had the chance to do.

What has been your best memory as an engineering student? My best memory as an engineering student is when my senior design team placed 2nd in the Design Competition. Our project was a patient based so it was cool doing so well in the competition but it was better that we were able to help someone walk a little bit easier with our product.

What advice would you give a first-year engineer? My best piece of advice is to try different things. A lot of my favorite activities were the ones that forced me to step a little out of my comfort zone. It may have been tough at first but it the long run it definitely paid off.

What do you plan to do after graduation? As a 5th year senior, you would think I have everything planned out but that is not the case! I still have one year where I can decide what I want and we shall see where this year takes me.

What has been your best experience outside of engineering at Penn State? My best experiences outside of engineering at Penn State has to be my internships but it is not so much the projects or work experiences I have been a part of. I have worked in California, Maryland and New Jersey and the best thing is seeing how far reaching the Penn State network is. I have been in supermarkets in California and have had conversations with complete strangers (who happened to be Penn State alum) about what is going on in State College. Making those instant personal connections with complete strangers in random places have led to my best experiences outside Penn State.