My name is Liam McConnico-Blanchet, I’m a rising senior from McMurtry College studying Business with a Major Concentration in Finance. When I first got to Rice, I applied as a Civil and Environmental engineer, then switched to Chemical and Biomolecular engineering, and then switched again to Materials Science and Nanoengineering before finally settling on the Finance major. As a former engineering major, I wanted to keep doing some kind of engineering and not abandon my previous love for designing, so I decided to do the Engineering Design minor. Doing an iSEED course was a great way for me to do more engineering design, and the fact that I get to help people while doing what I love is an added bonus.
I did iSEED last year during iSEED Europe between Paris and Amsterdam, and I absolutely loved it. This next picture came from my time in Amsterdam last year, at an ice dive bar.
I loved Amsterdam so much that it turned my photo horizontal.
When I first took the program, I had assumed that it would be a one-time affair and that it would just serve as a good experience and a way to get credit for my minor. However, I was floored with how much fun learning I had, and wanted to do it again this year. I chose Europe last year partially because I had lived in Europe before, and was used to it, but I wanted to expand my horizons this year and go to Mexico instead. Additionally, iSEED Europe mostly concentrated on learning about engineering design and the business application of engineering design, with some experimentation within the course. However, from what I’ve heard from students who have taken iSEED Mexico previously, this is a great time to apply my learning and actually build something for a good cause. Being able to interact with the greater world and not just participate in activities “within the hedges” will be a great leanring experience, and I hope to carry it forwards in the future.