My name is Ethan Student, and I am a recent Rochester Institute of Technology graduate. I graduated with a B.S. in Individualized Study with a concentration in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Sciences and Innovation.

I love to weld, 3D print, create videos, fish, fly drones, tinker with my truck, boat, home network… and overall just learn how things work.

I have always been a tinkerer, so when it was time to go to college, engineering seemed like a fantastic choice. As time went on and after my first internship, I realized I loved to CAD and design things in my personal life, but less as a career. For that reason, I changed my major from Mechanical Engineering to SOIS (School of Individualized Study), as I had significantly more control over what classes I could take and what I would learn. Courses like DFMA (Design For Manufacturing and Assembly) really interested me, whereas classes like Statics and Dynamics interested me less. I love to create things, and as I have progressed throughout my life I have truly focused on a track to be more hands on rather than theoretical.

People who know me well would describe me as hands on and a very visual learner. I couldn’t make a part out of wood, so I learned how to weld. I couldn’t weld an intricate piece I needed, so I learned how to 3D print. My projects teach me skills I would not gain through the classroom, and I am thankful I am able to continue to innovate and create every day.