I moved to Utah in late 2018 to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. I had lived in North Dakota for six years where I worked on analog radio frequency electronics for the United States Air Force, and I was very ready for change. I did an internet search one day for engineering schools in mountains. Six months later, all of my belongings were packed into a rental trailer crossing the Utah border for the first time. I stopped at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City with absolutely no idea where I would be sleeping that night. After checking out a few apartments with my dad, I found a great place tucked away in downtown Sugar House. I didn't know it yet, but one of the most exciting chapters of my life was about to begin.

I started classes at the University of Utah at the turn of 2019 and immediately knew that I was in the right place. The coursework was fascinating, my peers were enthusiastic, and the professors were passionate. Even more, I could show up to class in ski pants and be on the top of the Wasatch mountains 45 minutes after class ended. I used terrain mapping software to investigate good spots to watch sunrises, and I started becoming familiar with my new home mountains. I even backpacked through Escalante with a group of school friends by the end of my first semester! I started falling in love with Utah.

Education

Studying electrical engineering was my primary focus for the four and a half years that I lived in Utah. For the first time in my life, I was the first student to turn in a final exam at the end of an analog electronics course—and I aced the test. While I was a full-time student, I was a Systems Engineer co-op for L3Harris where I worked on the data link for the U-2 spy plane. I was also a Staff Sergeant in the Utah Air National Guard as support staff for the commander of the 151st Maintenance Group. As a sophomore, I co-founded the CubeSat Club at the University of Utah and served as its president until my graduation. I was a busy guy!

Adventure

Despite a busy courseload, I tracked 2,102 miles over 297 hours of activity totaled from swimming, running, hiking, skiing, and biking. I became intimately familiar with the Wasatch Mountains, and even found good spots for backpacking on nights before early school days with enough time to shower and grab a burrito on the way to class. A classmate in a microwave engineering class, Michael, became my backcountry partner and truly catalyzed my outdoor experiences. Depending on the season, we might go rock climbing by headlamp until midnight or start huge backcountry ski days at two in the morning. I'm not sure if I'll ever have a more intense work/life balance than I did when I lived in Utah!