Evan Barash

Personal Statement

Since I can remember, my parents have been there for me whenever I have needed them.

I have looked up to them for all 20 years of my life. From my mom being my chess teacher since

I was 5 years old, to my dad being my soccer coach since I was 6 years old, it comes to no

surprise that I would look up to them as my role models. My dad being a mechanical engineer

and my mom being an industrial engineer, I knew that I was destined for the engineering field.

While I knew from a young age that I was destined for the engineering field, I didn’t

know what type of engineering I wanted to do. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to go to a school

district that had an advanced program in the STEM field. I narrowed down which type of

engineering career path I wanted to go down when I was accepted in the Math, Science, and

Technology program in my school district. Also known as MST, this program consisted of 90

students from the 4 high schools in my district. As the name suggests, the program consisted of

advanced classes in math and science, as well as coding classes. For the 4 years of high school

that I went here, I took advanced classes in biology, chemistry, physics, and math. I also learned

the basics of coding software’s. Going through the program and taking all these advanced

classes, it helped me solidify that the engineering field was right for me. I was not only taking

these college level courses, but I was exceeding in them and enjoying them. However, some of

the classes I did not like as much, which helped me narrow down which field I would enjoy

more. Physics and Calculus were the 2 classes I took that I really was interested in learning

more. I loved having to critically think about the problems and finding the correct solution using

multiple different methods learned. Based off what I was loving at school, I decided that there
were a couple fields of engineering I would be interested in: electrical and mechanical

engineering.

After high school, I knew that I need to go to a university where I could expand my

knowledge and love for engineering that I found in high school. Heading off to college to

Kettering University, one of the top engineering schools in the country, I knew I would be able

to continue down my destined path of engineering. Starting out, I had a beginner mechanics

class. Here is where I found something I loved, designing and 3-d printing. We had to design a

coaster made from wood and use the 3-d printer to cut into the wood to make the design. I had a

blast figuring out what I can going to design and designing it on the CAD we had to use. Seeing

the coaster being cut out was one of the coolest things I have seen, and I will always remember

taking it home and showing it to everyone.

Another reason I chose Kettering was because of the co-op opportunities I would get. My

first co-op term was at a small business called AeroTrain in Flint, Michigan. While this was my

first co-op, it was also my first job, so I wanted to get as much out of it as possible. While as

AeroTrain, I got to do work in both the electrical and mechanical engineering, as they built

airplane training machines. The electrical side wasn’t as interesting as the mechanical side of

things. I learned how to use drill presses and how to cut and bend metal tubing. Physically

building the individual pieces for the machines and putting them together was what I really

enjoyed. Getting my hands dirty was what I loved to do, especially when it came to designing

and building the machines and trainers. The main project we worked on during my term was this

hydraulic fluid machine that used metal tubing to disperse fluid around the trainer. We had to be

very hands on, measuring and cutting and bending the tubes that would go around this trainer.

Putting together this trainer and seeing the outcome of my work was satisfying. Not only did I
enjoy working on the trainer, but the finished product was amazing to see in use. This is what

finally made me realize that Mechanical Engineering was the right career path to head down.

I intend to work at a business where I can use my love of being hands-on and engineering

to make a difference in the world. Working at the right company that will help evolve my

knowledge in the field and will allow me to pursue what I truly want to do in life as a human

being.