Juan is a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at Cornell University. Entering high school, Juan had an idea that he wanted to go into engineering but he was unsure of which one. Initially starting university majoring in industrial engineering, Juan took all of the basic courses in which engineers of all fields would take. It would be until he was introduced to mechanical engineering at a fair that explained each of the fields of engineering, that Juan would decide that he wanted to instead pursue ME.

Juan decided to pursue a PhD because the things that he wanted to do were related to research. Wanting to become an expert and be knowledgeable of most of the aspects of additive manufacturing, Juan decided that a Ph.D. was the right path to take for him.

Speaking with Juan, here was some of the advice he offered to me:

1. Talk to the people around you as they have experiences that they may be able to share with you. They can offer you a fresh perspective.

2. Work with people that match your personality as it will make your life easier. It is more difficult to work with people who do not match yourself. 

3. Have your eyes open, be open to different things. New experiences bring more to the table and can allow you to find what you really like