Find Your Flock

What happens when you grow up in Hoboken and choose to build your future right where it started? In this episode of Finding Your Flock, Eve Gutierrez shares how her hometown roots shaped her journey at Stevens, from being a first-generation college student to finding her place in Industrial & Systems Engineering after exploring multiple paths. Her story isn’t linear, and that’s exactly the poi...

She arrived at Stevens with one plan — and left with another. In this episode of Find Your Flock, Paulina Georgoutsos, a chemical biology graduate, shares how she balanced varsity field hockey, Student Government Association president and pre-health coursework while building her foundation in the sciences. With strong faculty and advisor support, she navigated everything from research to standardi...

How do you turn a passion for trains and public transit into a career? In this episode of Find Your Flock, senior Elizabeth Halton shares how her interest in rail and transit led her to study civil engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology — and secure a full-time role in the industry before graduation. From leading the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), to gaining hands-on experience through...

How do you turn curiosity about science into a career in research? In this episode of Find Your Flock, Stevens alum Erin McGee shares how her passion for science led her to double major in Physics and Mathematics at Stevens Institute of Technology... and continue on to a physics Ph. D. program at Yale University. Erin discusses exploring multiple areas of physics through undergraduate research, fr...

Lauren Kibalo came to Stevens unsure what she wanted to study. One intro programming class changed everything. She discovered software engineering, pursued a minor in computer science, and explored hands-on research in AI, machine learning, and even Department of Defense projects. Along the way, she balanced coursework, leadership roles, campus involvement, and internships, building the skills tha...

Not sure what you can actually do with a mechanical engineering degree? This episode breaks it down. In Episode 23 of Find Your Flock, Ava Wang '25 shares how switching from biomedical to mechanical engineering led to leadership roles, research opportunities, study abroad in Barcelona, and ultimately a competitive graduate rotational program in the energy and industrial gas industry. She talks...

What happens when a love of music leads you deeper into engineering? In Episode 22 of Find Your Flock, Tejal Dhiman, a senior at Stevens, discusses her transition from music technology to electrical engineering, sharing insights from high school sound tech jobs, college clubs and engineering internships. Learn how hands-on projects and creative exploration can guide students toward careers in audi...

Naval engineering isn’t just ships and submarines—and Andrew Valent explains why. In this episode of Find Your Flock, the fourth-year Stevens student shares how he discovered naval engineering, what the major really covers, and how the program is expanding into ocean engineering. Andrew also talks about studying in a small, close-knit cohort, learning across multiple engineering fields, and why St...

A mathematics major’s path doesn’t end at graduation. In episode 20 of Find Your Flock, Stevens alum Zoe Hack '24 talks about studying mathematics with minors in computer science and economics, stepping into student leadership, and figuring out what came next after graduation. She shares how a high school teacher led her to Stevens, why the campus size ended up being the perfect fit, and how a lov...

In this episode of Find Your Flock, Aidan Ruck, a senior and AMP student at Stevens Institute of Technology, talks about his journey in computer engineering and building his own startup. Aidan shares how professors and hands-on experiences shaped his academic path, from exploring AI and entrepreneurship to unexpected lessons in humanities courses. He also dives into his senior design project, Aven...

Bertila Bruka '25 is a recent Stevens alumnae who studied biomedical engineering, and along the way she found a research path that led her straight into Alzheimer’s disease work. In this episode of Find Your Flock, she talks with Dr. Sandra Clavijo about her classes, joining a lab,and doing real research before graduation. They discuss how biomedical engineering coursework builds the foundatio...

What does a chemical engineering career path really look like while you are still in school? In Episode 17 of Find Your Flock, we speak with Dariya Baizhigitova, a chemical engineering student, about academic decision making, technical growth, and how coursework and projects shape long term career direction. The conversation focuses on how students develop engineering skills, learn to communicate...

Stevens alumni Michael Gajdosik '23 and Jordan Cory '23, both dual majors in physics and pure & applied mathematics, share their paths from undergraduate research to graduate study. They discuss REUs, coding and lab work, international collaborations, and how early research shaped their careers. Michael now pursues a Ph. D. in theoretical nuclear physics at Michigan State University, w...

Join us for a special first-ever dual interview on Find Your Flock! In this episode, we chat with undergraduate students Salomé Orozco and Aliona Heitz from the Industrial & Systems Engineering program. They share insights on their favorite courses, research and internship experiences and how they’re applying systems thinking to industries like aerospace, software, and transportation. Learn ab...

In this episode, Ph. D. candidate Erin Kreis walks us through her journey from a Mechanical Engineering undergrad to a Biomedical Engineering Ph. D. at Stevens. She explains how mechanical engineering provides the foundation of physics and motion, while biomedical engineering applies those principles to the human body, tissue behavior, and cellular processes. Erin discusses pitching through Launch...

We sit down with Emma McCann, a Stevens alum and AMP student in ocean engineering whose interests grew from environmental engineering into research on coastlines, ocean systems, and real-world fieldwork. Emma shares how Jersey Shore experiences (including Hurricane Sandy) shaped her perspective, how reaching out to Prof. John Miller early on led to hands-on research with drones and shoreline data,...

In Episode 12 of Find Your Flock, we dive into the journey of Matthew Melada, a Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology alum and current AMP student, who opens up about moving from his non-traditional journey from undergrad to a pre-health / medical path. In this conversation, Matthew reflects on his strong foundation in chemical biology with clinical experience during his senior year, discov...

Join us for Episode 2 of Find Your Flock, featuring Samuel Schmitt, a computer engineering student in the Launchpad program at Stevens Institute of Technology. Samuel shares how Launchpad has supported his growth as an innovator—opening doors to hands-on research, entrepreneurship opportunities, and international experiences that are shaping his career path. Through his multilingual adventures and...

Season 2 of Find Your Flock kicks off with Maria Manoussakis ’22, M.Eng. ’23, MBA ’23 — a Stevens grad who blended her passion for mechanical engineering and business to launch a leadership-focused career at Legrand. In this episode, Maria joins host Sandra Clavijo to talk about her path from undergrad to dual master’s degrees, the lessons she learned through trial and error, and how combining tec...

After switching to biomedical engineering just before starting college, Diya Jariwala found a new direction at Stevens Institute of Technology. In this episode of Find Your Flock, she talks about navigating two distinct BME tracks—engineering vs. pre-health—how undergrad research broadened her interests, and why flexibility and support made all the difference. Now continuing her studies with a mas...

🎓 In this episode of Find Your Flock, we talk with Christopher Kniss, a recent graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology’s computer engineering program, who’s now heading into a Ph. D. in electrical engineering. He shares how he discovered his passion for hardware design, why he’s shifting fields, and what it’s like to intern at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 🔧 Topi...

In Episode 7 of Find Your Flock, Dr. Sandra Clavijo speaks with Sophia Miskiewicz, a Stevens alum and current Ph. D. student in physics at the CUNY Graduate Center. With a deep curiosity for the universe—and a minor in music and technology—Sophia shares how her unexpected journey into physics began, how she combined science with the arts, and what life as a Ph. D. researcher really looks like. 🌌...

In this episode of Find Your Flock, we meet Kyra Kozar, a recent Stevens Institute of Technology graduate who studied Naval Engineering with a passion for the ocean, ships, and systems design. Kyra shares what drew her to this niche but essential STEM field and reflects on her internship experience with Royal Caribbean — where classroom theory met real-world engineering. 🌟 What You’ll Learn: Why...

In this episode of Find Your Flock, we sit down with Izzie Furrick, a soon-to-be dual degree graduate from Stevens Institute of Technology. With a bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering and an accelerated master’s in Materials Science with a sustainability focus, Izzie shares her inspiring path — from aspiring writer to future-forward engineer. In this episode, you'll hear about: • The moment she...

Meet Amber Johns, a recent Stevens Institute of Technology graduate with both a B.S. and M.S. in Applied Mathematics, who turned her lifelong love of problem-solving and puzzles into a dynamic career in data analysis. In this episode of Find Your Flock , Amber walks us through her academic journey, internships, and how exploring everything from graphic design to Greek life helped shape her path. N...