Cody Cusic - Professional Statement - Purdue University School of Electrical Engineering - Degree Objective: BSEE
Growing up as a child, I was always infatuated with electronics and mathematics. Starting in middle school I was involved in the Project Lead the Way program, which introduced me to the several disciplines of engineering, including Digital Electronics. I also got the opportunity to work for an engineering and consulting firm that helped me gain valuable experience with real world applications. They also allowed me to come back the following Summer, where I was able to work on various other interesting projects, furthering my knowledge even more. I was able to present my findings to the Vice President and Marketing Manager throughout the summer, enhancing my presentation skills and directing me on areas that needed enhancement. I knew this was the path that I wanted to take. I decided on Electrical Engineering since it matched up with what I liked to do and would allow me to learn even more.
When I first started college, I loved it. My freshman year I decided to join a fraternity in order to network and gain lifetime friendships. Looking back, this was a great decision, allowing me to accomplish my initial goals plus more. I was able to meet many prominent alumni related to my field, especially since I was head of the Alumni Relations committee, which became invaluable mentors. They helped introduce me to others and help point me in the correct direction to make sure that I was staying on track. The fraternity also allowed me to work on projects and gain leadership skills that have helped me obtain the best education possible. One example was creating and running an Innovations committee, which allowed me to build a personal computer for the house and lead other important projects.
By taking courses in various fields of engineering, I was sure that I made the right choice in choosing Electrical Engineering. I found the classes in this field very intriguing and wanted to constantly learn more to help build my skills, even outside of the classroom. I also was able to take courses in mathematics, which I also found very interesting, and decided to obtain a minor in that field. The ability to use engineering and mathematics together to model real complex systems was fascinating.
In my Junior year, one of my mentors urged me to join a research project. After looking at several interesting projects going on at Purdue, I decided to join the FS Optics group. They allowed me to attend their weekly meetings, which was overwhelming at first, especially since I was the only undergraduate and everyone else had a Ph.D. or were working toward it. That summer I was able to gain hands-on experience in the lab. My two main projects were optimizing the fiber fusion splice program for SMF to DCF and to design, code, and help build a positioning system to research a secure RF channel based off of location. The knowledge and skills that I learned here was extraordinary.
What I learned in my research and my love for electronics propelled me to specialize in optics. Since then I have taken any course that I believed would help me learn more about the field including Electric & Magnetic Fields and Introduction to Engineering Optics. I also loved hands-on labs related to this topic such as my Fields & Waves Lab and my Circuits and Systems Lab. I earned no less than an A in all of the previously mentioned classes and I am currently taking other classes in these areas to expand my knowledge further.
Upon graduation, I would like to start my career in an optics related job. Since the optics field is very broad, I want to see where my career path takes me. Once I figure that out, I would like to go back to school to obtain either a MSEE or MBA. I am very excited to start my career and to see the projects that I worked on being introduced in the field. I hope that you would give me the opportunity to work at your company to help research, design, and develop cutting edge technology that will be used in real-life applications.
