BlackboardStephan Morrison-Ketter
Stephan Morrison-Ketter remembers exactly when he decided to be an industrial engineer. "In first year engineering as freshmen, we were introduced to all the different engineering department programs available at the college. Representatives from each department came to our lab class to speak to us about their particular field. Industrial Engineering especially sparked my interest and I got exposed to supply-side management that day. It was fascinating, in fact it was so exciting to me that I decided to go into this for my major."
Morrison Ketter's desire to help others turned to action as a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Recently participating in a Kid's Day event sponsored by the group, he got a chance to give school kids an introduction to engineering through hands-on activities. One particular activity that he was in charge of was making lava lamps with paper cups. "The kids thought it was cool. Their faces were all lit up and they seemed to get a lot out of the activity," said Morrison-Ketter. Adding, "I didn't have the opportunity to do cool things like this when I was in school but I think it's a great way to get kids interested in science and math early in their education."
In remembering his greatest challenge of his undergraduate years so far, Morrison-Ketter confessed, "In my first semester my grades were not good. I'm on scholarship and I worried the entire winter break thinking I was going to receive a letter telling me, ‘That's it, you're cut off!' When that did not happen, I came back after spring break and worked really, really hard. And that was my greatest challenge, because I knew I had to do well to maintain my scholarship. I don't remember my GPA that semester but it was enough to boost my overall GPA and I kept my scholarship."
Morrison-Ketter believes that peer support can be invaluable to a student's success in school. "The STEM Learning Community is a mentoring group, funded through FAMU of upper-level students who are available to help incoming freshmen. Typically, students can take advantage of the learning community's tutoring assistance, have access to a computer lab as well as participate in various activities provided that are designed to help them to adjust to college life."
"I have found that being part of a study group helps everyone. I like the give and take of working with other engineering students. A lot of times you may think you are doing bad or good in a class but after speaking with other students, comparing experiences, you get a better idea about your own situation, and you may have a chance to help someone who is struggling," adds Morrison-Ketter.
"After being exposed to STEM last year as a sophomore, I got a chance to give back this year as I was the lead mentor for a group of incoming students. It was a very good experience and helped me meet other engineering and math students like myself."
When speaking about his future, Morrison-Ketter admits, "I'm torn between going to graduate school and entering the real world. In five years I see myself working for a company and hopefully, I'm really happy. That's my main goal; being happy. I know that having a BS or an MS should get you a good paying job and that's important. But I want to enjoy what I'm doing also."
"My advice to students entering college, says Morrison-Ketter, "is to take advantage of every opportunity you can find to work with others. There are a lot of things you can do to help others as well as yourself, like tutoring. I feel you've got to take advantage of all kinds of opportunities to better yourself and your university."
