Well, I guess it's customary to begin at the beginning...
How did I get here? I'll be turning 27 this summer, happily living with my boyfriend in Nice, France, about 10 min walking from the Mediterranean Sea. But where did it all begin?
I guess you could say it all began in French class my freshman year of high school. I loved French. "Loved" like to the point of being obsessed with French. I was even crowned French I Student of the Year that year - got a little fleur-de-lis pin. The thing I loved about French was the same thing every other American loves about French: the idea of French and of France was just beautiful. I mean, what American doesn't enjoy a French accent or French bread? I was no exception. I remember looking at the pictures in my French book and thinking, "Wow, one day I want to go there." My favorite pictures were of the Loire Valley, said to be the most beautiful area in France (little did I know one day I would live there). I was hooked.
Unfortunately for my travel and language plans, I had had dreams of being an engineer since I was about 5 years old. I know, how could I have dreams of engineering that young? My mom. That's the simple answer. As she tells the story: I was 5 years old and I had a toy 1959 Corvette - black with a white tear drop - and when you pulled it backwards it would wind up and drive by itself when you let it go. I was playing with it when my mom asked, "Sweetie, you like that car?" "Yes." "Do you want one when you're older?" "Yes." "Alright, then get a degree in math or science and don't get married until you're finished." "Okay Mommy." That was it. Alright, I guess I should admit that the name "engineer" didn't come in until I was in middle school. We had to pick what we wanted to be when we got older. Hell, I hadn't a clue, like any 'normal' middle school kid, so I asked Mom. She told me to be an engineer. I said Ok. My mother is my best friend in the entire world, and I'm pretty much a mini-her, so I knew that whatever she said was true and I trusted her (and over 10 years later, I can say that she was correct. I love engineering!).
So, back to French class. I finished with French class, switched high schools, and got into engineering and math gear. Languages went out the window because there was simply no time for them, and when I entered college that became even more apparent. I went to two different high schools, split right down the middle: first 2 years at one school, last 2 years at another. My first school worked on block scheduling. That means that you take 4 classes a semester for a period of about 90 min each, then you take 4 more classes the second semester. I LOVED period scheduling. It just made sense, and it let you finish early, i.e. I finished French I-III in two years instead of three. Unfortunately for me, I switched schools to a high school with period scheduling, so the "normal" 8 classes a day for 50 min each BS. I hated it, and because I had finished so many requirements within the first 2 year span, I had the equivalent of 4 classes free every day. What the heck was I to do with this time? Certainly not fill it with blow off courses - I already felt that high school (in America) was a complete waste of time (and I still do) - so I decided to study auto mechanics. I liked old cars and I was just learning how to drive so why not? I entered vocational school for automotive mechanics.
Believe it or not, I wasn't the only girl in my class. I remember the first day we had to check in our tools in our tool boxes (to see if any were missing). I knew what a wrench was, but I didn't even know that they came in different sizes. My teacher saw me sitting there, the only person left, and he asked what was wrong. When I admitted that I had absolutely no idea what any of the tools were, he sat down and helped me, telling me each and every name. That's how the whole year went. I worked hard. I found 'regular school' interesting because I loved my math courses and I chose photography as an elective, and I loved automotive because it was engaging and something new.
Two years later, right before graduation, I was top of the class in my automotive courses. I was chosen to participate in the Skills USA competition. Only one student from every school gets to compete, and only the top three students move on to the state competition. At regionals, I was the only girl. The competition was set up with a written exam and then stations where you had to perform automotive skills: showing how to set up circuits in series and parallel with a battery, finding a problem with a vehicle and noting the problem and possibilities to fix it, adjusting brakes, measuring a cam or crank lobe, etc. I won 3rd. I went onto the state competition and won 5th place, beating out 17 other guys. Oh, I was also the only girl at states for automotive. I felt accomplished and I loved cars, so I decided to pursue my automotive studies in college.
How did I get here? I'll be turning 27 this summer, happily living with my boyfriend in Nice, France, about 10 min walking from the Mediterranean Sea. But where did it all begin?
I guess you could say it all began in French class my freshman year of high school. I loved French. "Loved" like to the point of being obsessed with French. I was even crowned French I Student of the Year that year - got a little fleur-de-lis pin. The thing I loved about French was the same thing every other American loves about French: the idea of French and of France was just beautiful. I mean, what American doesn't enjoy a French accent or French bread? I was no exception. I remember looking at the pictures in my French book and thinking, "Wow, one day I want to go there." My favorite pictures were of the Loire Valley, said to be the most beautiful area in France (little did I know one day I would live there). I was hooked.
Unfortunately for my travel and language plans, I had had dreams of being an engineer since I was about 5 years old. I know, how could I have dreams of engineering that young? My mom. That's the simple answer. As she tells the story: I was 5 years old and I had a toy 1959 Corvette - black with a white tear drop - and when you pulled it backwards it would wind up and drive by itself when you let it go. I was playing with it when my mom asked, "Sweetie, you like that car?" "Yes." "Do you want one when you're older?" "Yes." "Alright, then get a degree in math or science and don't get married until you're finished." "Okay Mommy." That was it. Alright, I guess I should admit that the name "engineer" didn't come in until I was in middle school. We had to pick what we wanted to be when we got older. Hell, I hadn't a clue, like any 'normal' middle school kid, so I asked Mom. She told me to be an engineer. I said Ok. My mother is my best friend in the entire world, and I'm pretty much a mini-her, so I knew that whatever she said was true and I trusted her (and over 10 years later, I can say that she was correct. I love engineering!).
So, back to French class. I finished with French class, switched high schools, and got into engineering and math gear. Languages went out the window because there was simply no time for them, and when I entered college that became even more apparent. I went to two different high schools, split right down the middle: first 2 years at one school, last 2 years at another. My first school worked on block scheduling. That means that you take 4 classes a semester for a period of about 90 min each, then you take 4 more classes the second semester. I LOVED period scheduling. It just made sense, and it let you finish early, i.e. I finished French I-III in two years instead of three. Unfortunately for me, I switched schools to a high school with period scheduling, so the "normal" 8 classes a day for 50 min each BS. I hated it, and because I had finished so many requirements within the first 2 year span, I had the equivalent of 4 classes free every day. What the heck was I to do with this time? Certainly not fill it with blow off courses - I already felt that high school (in America) was a complete waste of time (and I still do) - so I decided to study auto mechanics. I liked old cars and I was just learning how to drive so why not? I entered vocational school for automotive mechanics.
Believe it or not, I wasn't the only girl in my class. I remember the first day we had to check in our tools in our tool boxes (to see if any were missing). I knew what a wrench was, but I didn't even know that they came in different sizes. My teacher saw me sitting there, the only person left, and he asked what was wrong. When I admitted that I had absolutely no idea what any of the tools were, he sat down and helped me, telling me each and every name. That's how the whole year went. I worked hard. I found 'regular school' interesting because I loved my math courses and I chose photography as an elective, and I loved automotive because it was engaging and something new.
Two years later, right before graduation, I was top of the class in my automotive courses. I was chosen to participate in the Skills USA competition. Only one student from every school gets to compete, and only the top three students move on to the state competition. At regionals, I was the only girl. The competition was set up with a written exam and then stations where you had to perform automotive skills: showing how to set up circuits in series and parallel with a battery, finding a problem with a vehicle and noting the problem and possibilities to fix it, adjusting brakes, measuring a cam or crank lobe, etc. I won 3rd. I went onto the state competition and won 5th place, beating out 17 other guys. Oh, I was also the only girl at states for automotive. I felt accomplished and I loved cars, so I decided to pursue my automotive studies in college.
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