Ryan Ingram

Cumulative Reflection

My name is Ryan Ingram, and I am a student at Iowa State University in Computer

Engineering. I am originally from Champlin, Minnesota which is a northwest suburb of

Minneapolis. My experience with Iowa State started when I came for a tour my senior year of

high school. I did not know much about the school previously, but I remember loving the

campus, engineering buildings, and sports program. I then learned about how great Iowa

State’s engineering program is and made my decision. I am very happy with my time spent hear

and I could not imagine doing anything differently.

I began my freshman year as an Electrical Engineer and was put in EE 185 with Mani

Mina. I remember this very well because of the way Dr. Mina made me think. He talked a lot

about critical thinking and how we were becoming masters in our fields. I believe this paved the

way for the rest of my college experience and got me excited to become an expert in what I

enjoyed. I ended up switching to Computer Engineering my sophomore year and knew I was in

the right spot because I enjoyed 227, 228, and 281. These classes were all interesting

introduction classes with some fun projects.

Throughout my college years I was challenged in a lot of my classes. There were many

classes that I struggled in and needed to put in some extra time and effort to be able to

understand the material and be successful. To do this I would join in SI sessions for classes that

offered it and I would try to study and work with friends. SI sessions were a very useful tool for
me because they pushed me to spend extra time on topics that I might be struggling with. They

also give you another perspective on the class which I found to be super nice. I would also try

and work with friends in the same classes as me. This would give me some extra motivation and

help when I needed it. One thing I learned the hard way was that it is essential to be able to ask

for help when you need it. I had one class that was very lab heavy and there was a big project

that the lab carried in to. I got behind because I didn’t ask for help when I needed it and

because of this I had to do a team project on my own. I ended up finishing everything and

getting a good grade, but it was way harder and way more work than what it would’ve been if I

had just asked.

Along with academics my time at Iowa State has been spent with new friends,

intramural sports, and clubs. I was able to be a part of the canoe and kayak club, ski and

snowboard club, and the billiards club. All of these provided me with opportunities to

participate in new things outside of my comfort zone. I got to go on fun weekend/weeklong

trips and meet a lot of new people through these. Intramurals has also been really fun to

participate in. I am a competitive person naturally so to be able to compete in a fun competitive

environment has been awesome. Finally, I have met a lot of people at Iowa State and love to

hang out with friends. The experiences I have had here I will never forget.

Overall, Iowa State has had a very big impact on my life, and I have had a great time in

my years here. I have learned a lot and am proud with how I have changed to be a better

person. I believe the skills and lessons I have learned here will directly follow me into the

workspace and allow me to be successful for the rest of my life.