The Bridge - Issue 3, 2020 - 36

Student Profile

student members, because meeting students from various
universities all throughout the country, and network and
connect with them was one of my favorite experiences of
my college years.
Why did you choose to study the engineering field?
Other than general interest in STEM, I like a good challenge!
Going into college, the engineering field terrified me, but
that's precisely what I loved about it. I chose to pursue
engineering because I knew that I would never stop
learning because this field never stops advancing.

Lauren McDaniel
Theta Lambda Chapter
University of South Alabama
Bachelor's, Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Lauren McDaniel is from Mobile, Alabama and is a recent
graduate of the University of South Alabama. where she
double-majored in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
She is the recipient of the 2019-2020 Department of
Computer Engineering Student of the Year. At South, she
served as 2019-2020 President of the IEEE-HKN Theta
Lambda Chapter, as well as the Treasurer of the IEEE
Student Branch. In addition to her involvement with IEEE,
she participated in many other organizations including:
Mortar Board, College of Engineering Ambassadors, and
the Freshman Leadership Scholars. Since graduating this
past May, she has moved from the Mobile area to begin
her career in the engineering field, where she hopes to
continue to learn, while also using all of the knowledge that
she gained from earning her undergraduate degree.
What has it meant to you to be
inducted IEEE-HKN?
Being inducted and being able to serve as the president
of my HKN chapter gave me the greatest sense of
community and involvement with my fellow classmates
that I had experienced in all of the 4 years that I attended
the University of South Alabama. I was able to enter the
organization, as well as the position with a goal to grow our
organization and involve the students within it both locally
and beyond, but this goal, in turn, allowed me to personally
feel the greatest sense of community with my fellow
classmates, and even students nationwide.
Do you have a best HKN story to share?
My favorite HKN memory was attending the Student
Leadership Conference in Boston, Massachusetts in the Fall
of 2019. I would recommend this conference to all HKN

THE BRIDGE

What do you love about engineering?
Like I previously said, engineering never fails to challenge
me, and I always end up learning something new, no
matter how small.
What is your dream job?
I believe it goes without saying that my dream job is one
within the Electrical and Computer Engineering field.
But my dream job is also one that never grows to be
monotonous, and always continues to advance with the
rate of growth of modern technology, and always keeps its
employees learning. I wouldn't mind it being located in a
really big and awesome city as well!
Whom do you admire (professionally
and/or personally) and why?
I admire my dad. Along with showing me my entire life
what it means to be both strong and self-sufficient, he has
done nothing but encourage me from the beginning my
engineering journey all the way to beginning of my career. He's
my biggest fan, and I wouldn't be an engineer without him!
What is the next BIG advance in engineering?
I think the next big advance in engineering would be the
normalization of space travel, and just extending the human
presence in space in general.
What is the most important thing you've learned in
school?
The most important thing I learned is how to learn and be
receptive to new knowledge, and adapt what you know to
new things that you're learning. Mostly everything you learn
in school is connected in some way, and if you can make
those connections, you're pretty much unstoppable.
What advice would you give to other students entering
college and considering studying your major?
If you're thinking about majoring in engineering, be very
introspective and positive that you have a passion for it. It
will take a lot of time and effort, and you have to absolutely
love what you're doing to want to put in the effort that a
degree in engineering demands. Study hard! When you
get into your upper-level courses, you're going to wish you
could go back and take your lower-level courses so don't
take them for granted while you're in them.
https://www.ieeefoundation.org/ieee_hkn https://hkn.ieee.org/ https://hkn.ieee.org/
The Bridge - Issue 3, 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Bridge - Issue 3, 2020
