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Nala (taken by my sister)
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Monday, August 19, 2019
An Introduction to a Civil Engineer
Hello all! My name is Jessica Zalenski and I'm currently a senior Civil Engineering student. The coolest thing about my major is probably the labs. We have to take a lot of classes for the different building materials so that means that our labs include things like breaking concrete and bending steel. The best class I took last semester included going through all the different Materials civil engineering uses and we got to have a lab for each of those materials (wood, concrete, steel). I transferred to OU as a sophomore and have been so glad I've done so ever since. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do after graduation and am hoping to get a job with an engineering firm and get to start designing different buildings. My favorite thing about OU is probably game days and I'm really excited for this years football season. My summer break wasn't too exciting, I mostly worked and had an internship, but I did get to spend one day of Padre Island so that's really nice. My internship was with the company Austin Bridge & Road and I got to help them out with the expansion of the Sam Rayburn Tollway in the Dallas, TX area. I learned a lot from the internship and am excited to see where else my career takes me. I'm from Frisco, TX and got to go home for the summer so that was nice as well. The best movie I've seen recently was probably Rocketman. I just thought it was really well done and it made me realize how little I knew about Elton John's life. I also really like his music so it was cool to have a lot of his songs incorporated into the film. My favorite album that got released recently has to be the Jonas Brothers' Happiness Begins album. Their music was the perfect thing to play when I got to lounge around the pool this summer. I have one Shit-Tzu named Nala. She's an old sole who just likes to sleep all day and is very grumpy but I love her with my whole heart.
My favorite food is probably either fried rice or pizza. I could eat either for the rest of my life and be very happy about it. If I have an extra day to do something, I typically like to go out and do something. I love getting to go to new places and exploring more things and hope that when I'm older I'll be able to travel a ton. I'm really excited to see where this semester goes.
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We used to go to Padre Island when I was little, Jess: it is nice to think about people still having fun there summer after summer after summer. And your Nala is such a cutie! How did you pick that name? I was curious because Nala is also the name of one of the monkey characters in the Ramayana... and he is the monkey engineer who helps build a bridge for the hero Rama from India to Lanka. That Nala even has his own Wikipedia article: Nala (Ramayana) ... you will have to tell your little Nala about her famous monkey/engineer namesake in India! You'll be starting the Ramayana in Week 3 of class, and the bridge-building is a really important part of the story as you'll see. Maybe you could even write a project about it; here's the Wikipedia article about the bridge itself: Rama's Bridge. Epic engineering!
ReplyDeleteHey Jessica! First off, I am way too dumb to ever do something like Civil Engineering. That is such a cool sounding major/career. The fact that you get so hands on with the materials and things that you will work with in the "real world" is awesome. Sometimes I think the lack of that type of exposure/experience is detrimental to students. I also agree that Rocketman was quite good. I found it fascinating how they turned Elton John's story into a musical. Since you mentioned pizza, do you have a favorite (toppings/style and type, and by type I mean Papa John's, Mazzios, etc.)?
ReplyDeleteHey Jessica it is great to meet you, it is very interesting to know that instead of being in those general Chemistry and biology labs where you either dissect or work with chemicals you get to do cool stuff like bending steel and breaking concrete. I am sure by the time you graduate you would be good at knowing the quality of construction. I see you are quite a musical person I have been classically trained and hav been in music industry for 14 years, I love Jonas Brothers swell. Nick Jonas has married one of my favorite Bollywood actresses Priyanka Chopra Jonas who also is the TV show quantize star. Overall it is great to meet you
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteYour civil engineering labs sound very interesting. Most of my time in computer engineering related labs seems to be spent on staring at a breadboard or staring at code wondering why it is broken instead of purposefully breaking stuff like in your labs like you mentioned. Good luck with your classes and I hope that nothing breaks that isn't supposed to.
Hi Jessica I have a feeling that we know each other already! I am glad that someone in the world enjoys labs because I for one could do without them and it could just be the type of labs that I am taking usually chemistry and Biology labs.I do believe I may have been your dog in a past life seeing as we are the same person. I think its really cool that you got to intern and have your name as a part of an expansion. I hope your name is some where on where they would list the people who helped move the project along. Do you have a particularly fried rice that you enjoy? Do you see yourself moving back to Texas after school.
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! Those labs do sounds really cool! I tend to be more of a find a corner, and curl up with a book, kind of person, but that would intrigue even me. I went to Padre for the first time a couple years ago (first time i've ever been to a beach) I hope you had lots of fun and remembered sunscreen! Also, your dog is absolutely ADORABLE!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as though you have quite a good grasp on what you want to do post-graduation, and how you want to achieve those goals! I have yet to have an internship, but from what I gather from both your experience and others I have heard about, it seems as though it is a great way to be introduced to to the real world of your chosen career. So though you say it wasn't all too exciting, I think many employers like to see that you spend this summer time doing this sort of work as a supplementation to the knowledge you gain from college. As for the movie about Elton John- aren't movies like this amazing? I love non-fiction, and the documentary genre of film is a great way to zoom in on a subject's life in a visually stunning way. If you liked that, I have a whole arsenal of books and movies about similarly captivating people! Also, your puppy is so cute-- somehow the grumpy pets often the most charming for their quirks!
Hey Jess!
ReplyDeleteI like your major, I havent heard that one very mcuh so that makes you unique! Sounds like you have endless oppurtunity. Also my summer was pretty boring too, i enjoyed the break of laying around and doing tasks on my own time. Also your dog is so cute. Im a huge fan of some good fried rice so if you know any recipes you should send them to me! Glad your in this class!
Hi Jessica! Your major sounds really interesting, and it couldn't be more different than mine--English! I am envious of engineering majors because y'all get to design and build tangible things. Fiction isn't super tangible. Anyway, I also really like Elton John, but I haven't gotten to see Rocketman yet--my friends have told me it's really good, and after your endorsement, I'll have to see it soon!
ReplyDeleteHey Jess! It is awesome to have another civil engineer in the class. I hope your favorite material you have learned about is concrete. Concrete is really cool, and is the best building material in my opinion. It is versatile, has variable strength depending on your needs, is economic, is beautiful (to some...), and is fun to play with! Your dog Nala looks very nice and is extremely photogenic!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! Civil Engineering sounds so cool. The labs sound really neat too. I haven’t gotten to see Rocketman yet, which is surprising. I’m both a huge fan of Elton John and Taron Egerton. Nala is so cute! I used to have a shih tzu. They’re funny little creatures! Hope the rest of your semester goes well! Glad to have you in class!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica! I loved reading your Intro. Civil Engineering sounds like a very cool major, you seem very passionate about it. That's so cool that you're from Texas, it's honestly one of my favorite states to visit, and I even lived there for a time. Your dog Nala is so cute! I love dogs, and many different animals really. Have a great rest of your semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica!
ReplyDeleteAnything with the word engineering in it is no joke! It sounds super interesting and like an important job a lot of people don't usually think about. I actually went and did things this summer but you won't regret sticking to your goals and doing an internship. Senior year yay! The end is in sight, haha, I wish I was that close!! Who doesn't love pizza? I think I could do pizza forever.... or tacos, you can make a taco out of anything!
Hi Jessica! Civil engineering is a great major and I have a lot of respect for their work. I'm trying to find good classes for my engineering science electives, and civil engineering courses look interesting! Do you have any recommendations for a 3000+ level course? Also, fried rice is super amazing! I just wish I was able to cook it without messing it up!
ReplyDelete