Tell us about your Berkeley IEOR experience. What were some of the best memories you had here?
I had a wonderful experience as an IEOR student at Berkeley. I learned a wide variety of skills and knowledge from so many incredible professors, and I made many great friends along the way. I had plenty of fun in my classes, but my best memories were the ones I made with my friends outside of class, exploring the Bay Area around Berkeley.

Why did you choose Berkeley IEOR?
I chose IEOR at Berkeley because I love the idea of taking abstract ideas and tools like statistics and optimization and applying them to real world problems. I first came to Berkeley as an undeclared engineering major, and in my first semester, I heard Professor Leachman give a lecture about how he developed a formula for semiconductor chips which related various learning curves and production times to the resulting profit made by the chips. In short, he could tell you how much money your time was worth. This completely fascinated me, and from that point on, I knew that I wanted to be an IEOR major here at Berkeley.

What was your favorite IEOR class and why?
My favorite IEOR class was IEOR 142. The class is an introduction to machine learning, and I loved learning about and applying advanced data analysis techniques. Professor Grigas also made the class a pleasure with his light-hearted humor and his clear and cogent explanations of many difficult concepts. I think this class should be a requirement for all IEOR majors because it is so valuable.

What are your post-graduation plans? How do you see your skills from IEOR being used in the future?
I will be working full-time as an associate engineer in the Affordability group at Aerojet Rocketdyne, a manufacturer of propulsion systems for both space and defense applications, in Redmond, WA. In this role, I will apply my knowledge of manufacturing improvement techniques and statistics to determine how to minimize costs while still achieving all the mission requirements for a propulsion system.

What advice do you have for younger IEOR students?
I have two pieces of advice. First, strive to make friends in your IEOR classes because having a study partner and a friend in class can make things much easier and more fun. Second, explore San Francisco and the Bay Area. Berkeley is so close to so many interesting restaurants, so much beautiful nature, and so many cool places, and you ought to explore those places while you have the freedom that college offers.

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