Stevens Admissions: Katie's Blog

Roadtrippppppp

So as my time in California is coming to a end, I figured I need to make the most out of what time I have left here. After my last day of Co-op, I am going to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego to San Francisco. 

I already have a few ideas for the stops I would like to make and the things I want to see, but it is still in the planning phase. I am so excited!!! I am definitely bringing my camera, and I will post pictures every step of the way. As of right now, my plan is this:

Day 1: San Diego to Santa Barbara (with a stop at Venice Beach)

Day 2: Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo

Day 3: San Luis Obispo to Big Sur (Big Sur is a huge rock formationoff the coast)

Day 4: Big Sur to Santa Cruz

Day 5: Santa Cruz to San Francisco

Day 6: San Fransisco

Day 7: San Fransisco to Hartford, CT (I'm flying HOME)

 

This trip is going to be such a great adventure - I can't wait!

Joshua Trees

Joshua trees are trees native to southwestern North America in California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They are very cool looking trees which I saw all over the desert towns.  I have a slight obsession with them and point them out to everyone whenever I catch a glimps of one.  They are said to have been what Dr. Seuss modeled the Lorax trees after.  I can definitely see the resemblance - can you?

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner made a stop in San Diego last week as part of its tour.  Since Hamilton Sundstrand was a supplier for the airplane, they let employees take a tour of the airplane!  The 787 is made of one piece barrel construction, which means less weight, less drag, less maintenance and less fuel consumption.  It is a beautiful piece of machinery and it is amazing that my company played a part in making that happen!  Here are some pictures of the plane:

Natural Hot Springs

California is basically a big desert.  So I figured while I am here I might as well go check one out!  I took a trip up to palm springs and desert hot springs in the hopes of finding a natural hot spring.  I was successful!  We started out on a our adventure to track down these hot springs and got side tracked when we found ostriches!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After hours of driving up a scary dirt road through horribly dry mountains we got out of the car and walked.  After another hour of walking through the desert, we found one!

 

There was a little river (that was FREEZING) we had to wade through.  But once we crossed it - we found the natural hot springs!  There were 3 or 4 pools of naturally 100 degree water.  It felt amazing!  The scenery was gorgeous, and everyone we met out there was so friendly.  We spent the day soaking up some rays and enjoying the natural hot tubs :) 

 

 

Surfing!

San Diego is home to the top (#1 and #2) surfing beaches in the country. But I went to neither of those my first time out. I found a quiet little cove with waves just big enough to learn on. And I loved it! It's SOOO much fun. The water is too cold in the Pacific Ocean to go in without a wetsuit, but once you have one on, you barely notice the temperature. The waves just kept coming at me - I never had to sit around and wait for the perfect chance. Instead, I was continuously jumping back on my board to try and try again. And I did succeed!  I can now officially stand up and surf! Not for very long, and not on very big waves, but I can do it :)  I look forward to many more surfing experiences while I am here on the west coast during my amazing co-op.       

My Birthday!

My birthday was this past weekend, so my parents flew out to visit me!  It was great.  They stayed in the downtown part of San Diego, which I had yet to explore.  We walked around the Gaslamp district, a part of downtown San Diego that does in fact still have street lamps run by gas. TONS of shops, bars, resturants, etc., are in that area. It's small but densly packed, kind of like Hoboken!    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also went to check out Croanado Island.  It is a small island right off the coast of San Diego and is connected by a bridge.  The island has two major points of interest:  a Naval base and the historic Hotel del Coranado, a beautiful, old hotel right along the beach.  

The last thing we did over the weekend was drive along the coast.  We went through all the little beach towns.  It was too cloudy to fully enjoy the beach - but I did buy a wetsuit!  I can't wait to try surfing!!!

Vegan Fast Food!!

So apparently in California, they have fast food places that are all natural/vegan!  I stumbled upon a fast food restaurant today (with a drive-through and all) that is strictly vegan!  I can't believe it.  They have all your expected fast food items - burgers, wraps, ice cream, even chili fries - except that everything on the menu is 100% vegan.  I am in love!

San Diego Zoo

I still can't believe how lucky I am to be working in San Diego.  I am having such an amazing time, and I have only been here for 10 days!

The San Diego Zoo has over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...and I now have a full membership!  I went to check it out this weekend, and I fell in love!  There were so many exhibits, and there were tons of birds just walking around the grounds freely.  It was amazing!  I think my pictures speak louder than anything I can describe.  Enjoy!

Parrot:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Otter:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hummingbird:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polar Bear:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panda:

Week 1 of Work - DONE

So I have officially been in California for 9 days - and I finished my first week of work!  I absolutlely LOVE it!  I am working as a co-op employee in the Quality department of Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems.  My boss is awesome and even likes the same football team as me!  I spent my first week going through various training modules pertaining to what I will need to know for the next 5 months.  One of the biggest projects I will be focusing on is using a quality operating system to determine the various value streams within the company, making sure we are aligning to those value streams.  By doing this, I will be able to work with professionals from various functional groups and see how each department operates, giving me a greater understanding of how the company operates as a whole.

On a different note, I am off to explore my new city! (I'm hoping to obtain a San Diego Library Card!!)

 

Happy New Year!

Thanks to all the friends I've met at Stevens Institute of Technology, I didn't have to be alone for New Years as I start my co-op placement in San Diego.  I took a train up to LA and met with a friend who attends Stevens and was home in CA for the winter break.  It was such an amazing trip! 

I took an Amtrak Pacific Surfliner up the coast to LA, and the views were incredible. I could see tons of gorgeous beaches and the few people brave enough to put on their wetsuits and search for the perfect waves.  I can't wait to try surfing!!

 Since I am a vegan, my friend had no idea what to feed me once I got to his house.  So we made rolls!  (Basically, sushi without the raw fish.)  We went out and bought plenty of fresh veggies: carrots, avocado, cucumber, jicama, etc.  We then sliced them all up and rolled them into the rice and seaweed paper.  It was such a fun, cultural experience! 

 

For New Years, we left the gorgeous 80 degree weather and drove up into the mountains to about 8,000 ft. I was totally surprised to see ski areas, people having snowball fights, and most surprisingly - a frozen lake!  We stayed in a cabin that was built completely by my friend's family.  The views were incredible, and I never would have expected to have seen that much snow in California!  

On a different note - tomorrow is my first day of work at my last co-op through Stevens!  I am so excited to discover what I'll be doing and meet all the people I'll be working with!