Undergraduate Admissions

Kari Brown

Kari Brown has her career in education all mapped out: she wants to become a professor, then a department chair, then a dean, then a provost, then a president. "I'm absolutely able to do it," she says.

Brown earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Tech in 2006, a master's in the same field in 2008, and is now a doctoral student working on an internship at Educational Testing Services in New Jersey, where she is helping to formulate a test to measure technological literacy among people.

It's the fourth internship she's had while at Michigan Tech—a total of six years that have far exceeded her expectations. "I knew my professors on a first-name basis," she says. "They were available even outside of office hours. They were always ready to help you out."

For Kari, Michigan Tech has been about more than classroom learning. She has conducted research, directed a student gospel music group, and worked with the campus chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (becoming its national secretary). She also studied for a semester in Denmark and visited China, Argentina, and Chile with the Michigan Tech Concert Choir.

"Tech helped me to explore, and made it easy," Brown says. "You don't just learn in class. You teach yourself. You learn how to be a problem solver—stuff you'll need in the workforce."

Caitlin Couture

Caitlin Couture loves the outdoors, so Michigan Tech was a perfect place for her to go to college. And since graduation, she's found another ideal place: Aspen, Colorado.

At the Aspen Academy in nearby Greenwood Village, Caitlin is putting her social sciences/secondary education degree to good use teaching middle-school history, civics, economics and geography. But when she's not in the classroom, she's out snowboarding, hiking, biking, and playing with her black Lab, Lily.

Eventually, she'd like to come back to Tech or a campus like it to teach history at the university level. "I had so many wonderful history professors at Tech that I would like to follow in their footsteps," she explains.

Meanwhile, she intends to focus on sharing her passion for history and social studies with her middle-school students. She also plans to marry her fiancé, Dan Gezon—a fellow Husky who graduated from Tech in 2009.

Her advice to future Tech students? "Have fun, but study hard!"

Jasween Jagjit

Jasween Jagjit, a native of Malaysia, traveled halfway around the world to attend Michigan Tech. In the process, she found another home. "My years at Tech were rewarding, and I have good memories," Jagjit says. "People were very welcoming. I fit in and felt very comfortable."

Jagjit, who earned a BS in chemical engineering in 2009, now works for CPI Engineering Services in Midland, Michigan. She was an intern at the firm for a summer before accepting a full-time position in engineering, sales, marketing, and new product development.

Jagjit says the best about Tech were the facilities, especially the labs, where she had the freedom to run experiments. She also appreciated gaining "very important skills" in producing reports and making presentations. "Industry works the way they treated us," she said.

While a student at Tech, Jagjit was involved with a variety of groups and extracurricular activities—the International Club, Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Malaysian Student Organization, to name a few. "I enjoyed it all," she says. "I got so involved, I had no time to be bored. Everything played a part, and it all came together really well."

Derhun Sanders

Derhun Sanders came to Michigan Tech because of his experience in Summer Youth Programs. He stayed because of the people.

"My instructors were so friendly, like a family away from home. They invited me to their houses, they took time to help me with any problems," says Sanders, who graduated in 1997 with a degree in biology and is now director of plans and programs at the US Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Michigan. "Tech isn't an easy school, but the teachers and my fellow students were really helpful."

Another plus was the diversity. "I was around so many different people--something I wasn't accustomed to in Flint, which is primarily African American," says Sanders. "The Tech community helped me appreciate other individuals."

The human relations skills he learned at Tech have proven very valuable in the Army. At TARDEC, he administers programs that research and develop advanced technology for military vehicles, such as armor that protects tanks from roadside bombs.

Sanders loves his work, but if he could, he'd come back. "I tell my wife if I wasn't married to her, I'd live in Houghton," he says. "I love the fact that I didn't worry about locking the door. I love that you don't have to pay for the gas before you pump it. It's just a friendly, relaxed atmosphere."

Nikki (Roth) Smith

Nikki (Roth) Smith comes from Chassell, Michigan—just down the road from Michigan Tech—so U.P. winters didn't surprise her. But finding herself the keynote speaker at a Scholars of Excellence banquet did.

"I was incredibly shy and afraid of public speaking before I came to Tech," she recalls. "Then there I was, sharing my experiences with high school students. It was very rewarding. Quite a transformation."

She's so comfortable with public speaking now that she is active in Toastmasters International, a nonprofit organization that helps people develop public speaking and leadership skills.

Nikki picked up other useful skills while earning a dual degree in scientific and technical communication with a marketing concentration and business administration. And it's paid off. She is now a service operations representative for Caterpillar, Inc. in Peoria, Illinois.

After graduating in 2006, Nikki "kept it in the family" and married Cody Smith, a 2007 Michigan Tech graduate. Both are enthusiastic Cat Racing fans, which makes her work even more exciting.

Nikki has two bits of advice for would-be Huskies. "Go for it!" she says. "And also, the snow is not really THAT bad."

Matthew Sohrweide

Matt Sohrweide never expected to be able to talk personally with the chair of an academic department before he was even a student at Tech. But that's what happened when he traveled from his Oconto, Wisconsin, home to visit campus for the first time.

"I couldn't believe she took the time to meet with me," remembers Sohrweide, a 2001 graduate in business administration with an emphasis in management information systems.

He found that kind of encouragement throughout Tech. "The professors gave us their home phone numbers and told us to call if we needed help," says Sohrweide. "They took the time to explain things to you; that's not the case everywhere."

The most important skill he learned was problem solving, says Sohrweide. It has served him well as a senior programmer analyst at Greatland Corporation in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The company provides payroll services to businesses all over the US.

"I like that I can solve real-world problems and see tangible results," says Sohrweide.

Sohrweide's Tech degree was also useful when he decided to pursue an MBA at another university nearer his home. "Because Tech's business program is fully AACSB-accredited, I was automatically qualified to get right into master's-level work," he says. "Michigan Tech is top notch, and I encourage anyone to go there if you are serious about school and interested in the programs Tech offers, and especially if you love the outdoors."