I get into my parents’ car, and I still can’t believe that this trip is happening. I look over the packing checklist for the hundredth time, knowing that I already checked it over and over again during the past few weeks. This is my first time living by myself for more than just a few days, which makes me nervous about everything. A decision to go to Yale University and study engineering for two weeks in the summer of 2023, which I was so excited about, suddenly feels like the worst decision I have ever made. 

When I first signed up for this opportunity almost six months before, there were program options that took place at different locations. The range of the options was wide, so I spent a lot of time looking at different program schedules and overviews to choose the one that fit me the best. Ultimately, I chose an engineering program at Yale because it involved hands-on activities that were not available in my high school. I wanted to make the most out of that summer, so I figured that trying out something new and seeing if I liked it would be the best way the chosen experience would shape my future. The most interesting part was living in a college dorm with new people. It was very scary to think that I would have to leave my parents, but it taught me so much about myself and what I would have to face in a few years when I graduate from high school. 

The program ran from early in the morning to about eight or nine p.m. at night. Everyday, I woke up early and met my new friends in front of the school dining hall. Although it was not easy to wake up and get ready early after long days full of activities, morning breakfast time with my friends was ironically my favorite part of each day. As we talked about our lives that would embrace almost every state in the U.S. alongside other countries, such as Brazil, Mexico, and China, we got coffee, scrambled eggs, and pastries to fuel our days. Only after we were a bit more awake after a cup of coffee and chat, we headed to the courtyard to meet our TAs and do some engineering.

This program taught me so much about engineering itself because it was very involved. The engineering team’s main project throughout our time at Yale was creating a Radio Controlled (RC) car and an RC sea perch by ourselves. This is one experience that I will never forget, even if I do not pursue engineering in the future. I have never done anything like this before, and neither did a lot of my friends and teammates there. We had to cooperate designing, setting the electrics, and building our projects. The TAs and the lecturers were mainly facilitating as they focused more on exposing us to the different types of engineering; this lack of guidance was what made this experience so memorable. A group with about ten people spent so much time together from planning the process and brainstorming the design to spray painting the RC car and cutting the pipes. I saw what a real engineer’s daily life would look like, which made me question if I truly wanted to pursue this path: I realized how in order to be successful at this job, one would need to have great skills at compromising, adapting to others’ point of view, and possessing mutual respect for other people’s expertise. In addition to the RC car and a sea perch, there were many activities such as building popsicle bridges and wind turbines in forms of competition between different TA groups, which I found very enjoyable. The teaching approach emphasizing minimal teacher involvement, where students were encouraged to independently figure out the steps, was very effective in creating learning as compared to traditional lectures that simply explained concepts. 

As I look back on my summer journey at Yale, which put me through the challenges and successes of the engineering program, I can’t help but remember my anxious car ride towards this experience in July. Although I hesitated at first, I realized that this journey was not just about engineering concepts, it was an ultimate trip to discover my new perspective on this profession.