Designing My Future With a Masters in Mechanical Engineering
Desiring to expand my product design skillset and learn how to satisfy customer needs, I embarked on mechanical engineering design. Working with Design Center Colorado and the College of Engineering, I balanced design and management duties as I earned my Master of Science with a specialization in design. Through this experience I was able to hone my existing CAD, CAM and manufacturing experience while continuing to pursue project management.
Earning My Graduate Certificate in Project Management
Floor resets, Holiday product bulk-outs, demo wall upgrades and our "Going Out of Business!" clearance - I was no stranger to leading projects by the time Circuit City closed. I built on that 5 years of experience with my own entrepreneurial projects, launching 3 businesses over the next 7 years. Running my tour company as a side business, I embarked on two degrees and a certificate, leading projects along the way that ranged from a year of planning high school science curricula, to 18 months of interfacing between departments to build my university's 2019 Baja race car, to planning the CU Canyoneering Club's $24,000 budget.
I found myself spending my days redesigning the gear I carried as I hiked along the Pacific Crest Trail. I liked to be busy. I liked to create. I loved to find simple solutions to routine problems. I sewed a 13 oz. tent that used my backpack frame instead of poles. By the time I finished the trail in November, I had decided to go back to school for mechanical engineering.
I grew up working on muscle cars and antique bicycles. My first engineering project might have been the scooter I merged with a bicycle when I was 8. My first car won the High School Drag Races with a motor I'd rebuilt in my father's garage. Then I spent a decade focused on car audio, installing sound systems for Circuit City and entering SPL competitions for fun. All the while, I was getting deeper into mountain biking. Today, I live to ride and work on bikes.
