Rachel Peadson is president of Engineering Student Council. Photo by Deborah Silliman Wolfe/COE
Story by Glynn Dickens for the College of Engineering
For junior Rachel Peadson, choosing the path of engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio was an easy decision. After she graduated from a specialized science academy where she created and built circuit boards, she realized that electrical engineering was her primary interest when deciding what to study in college.
“I chose UTSA because I knew they have a really good engineering program,” said Peadson. “And it was close enough to home, but not so far away that I couldn’t go back on a weekend if I wanted to.”
Aside from just being a hardworking student, Peadson is also the president of the Engineering Student Council. This group of students, including six other officers, essentially oversees and monitors the other clubs and organizations composed of engineering students, such as IEEE and Society of Women Engineers.
The Engineering Student Council hosts several events throughout the year, which Peadson says aims to pull students away from the textbooks and encourage them to socialize and get involved within the college.
“My favorite part about being involved [in the organization] is meeting new people,” Peadson said. “It’s always nice to see familiar faces in the halls.”
Peadson said that the first event that the Student Council will be hosting this semester is the annual Monster Mash Pumpkin Smash on November 1, 2014. The event is open to the UTSA and San Antonio community and features a fall festival as well as a pumpkin catapulting competition whose winner will win cash and prizes.
According to Peadson, another event also taking place in the fall is the Texas Energy Expo. This career fair type of event will give engineering students networking opportunities with potential employers in the energy field.
Peadson and her fellow Student Council members help make the Engery Expo a success by volunteering their time and energy at the event each year it takes place at UTSA.
Another big event theEngineering Student Council heads up in the spring semester is E-Week, also know was Engineering Week. The week long event takes the stage at the heart of campus, underneath the sombrilla. Students are encouraged to stop and learn a little about engineering and often win prizes as a result. Games include “Solve an Integral for a Free T-shirt” and “Square-Root-Beer Pong”.
The College of Engineering is full of ambitious and incredibly intelligent students such as Rachel Peadson, who hopes to eventually get a job with a consultant company, enabling her to fulfill her dream of traveling the world through her passion for science and sustainable electrical development.