Throughout ME270, I accomplished high quality lab reports and mini projects (2 goldens). However, the teamwork and collaboration I experienced with my lab group was probably the greatest accomplishment of the semester. I learned so much about CREO and manufacturing processes this semester. I now have new understandings and opinions on material choices and recyclability of products. This is a positive change for me as a future engineer, and I’m very grateful for the ways this course has shaped my understanding of manufacturing. I was most passionate about the machining lab—that project was the most rewarding because I was physically able to see the results of my lab work. When working with my team, I was able to demonstrate trust in my groupmates and delegation when coordinating work efforts. In the future, I believe I can use my strong pro-sustainability attitude to challenge the status-quo and support a better world (or at least a small portion of it). My academic interests lie in thermodynamics and power generation. Because ME270 pushed so strongly for appropriate material choices and sustainability, I will be so efficiency-focused and bi-product aware when working in the power industry. My weaknesses in design is CREO knowledge. I can design relatively simple products, but I struggle with complex features and splines. In the future, I’ll have more practice with ME370/371 and overcome my insecurities in design. One strength I do have is proper dimensioning. I hope to create extremely good drawings in the future. My short-term professional goal is centered on salary. I hope to make a decent wage and pay off the debt that UIUC has burdened me with. My long-term goal is to wake up every morning and have an amazing reason to get out of bed and go to work. For me, life isn’t about me. It’s about loving the people around me and in my community. The way that I accomplish my life goal is by living a frugal life and being as generous as I can with my time and resources. I think that UIUC has prepared me well for an engineering position, and I believe that I’ll succeed in my career, whatever that ends up being. So, I believe I’ll end up doing very well in my future company and I’ll probably get paid more than I’m expecting. Throughout this learning process, diligence and self-control helped me succeed. For future students, I recommend having a good balance between work, school, and fun. It’s impossible to work with a bad mental attitude. So, have fun and enjoy life (within reason) and your school work will become more than bearable. The most challenging area of engineering is design. It’s so difficult to work with large assemblies and modify part dimensions without screwing up everything else. I hope to learn to overcome this with the help of classmates and future labs in ME370/371.