Short Feature with Volleyball Senior Shalani Stockton

Senior Shalani Stockton, a mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering major from McAllen, Texas, answers a few questions about student life at Carnegie Mellon, talks about her internships, what she's excited for during spring semester, and what classes have impacted her time at CMU.

1. What do you enjoy about campus life? What do you get involved in outside of volleyball?

One of my favorite things about campus life is being part of such close knit communities that I feel like I always have a friend I can sit with and people I can go to. Although we are in such a competitive college setting, my campus affiliations have introduced me to lifelong friends that are so passionate about their interests, yet so selfless; they would drop anything for each other. I also really enjoy that so many events are held on campus on a daily basis. Student organizations hold meetings, there are AB [Activity Board] events, movie nights, and so much more. I think its important that people pursue their other interests while at CMU. It is so easy to get caught up in our sport and with our team, but we should not forget that we have access to incredible facilities and are surrounded by amazing people. I tend to get involved outside of my sport through my hobbies and campus research. I love crafting and photography and have taken a couple photo courses in CFA, and glass blowing at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. I previously did research with the CMU Experimental Biomechatronics Lab and research between the CMU Athletics and Biomedical Engineering Departments. 

2. Tell us about what internships you've had.

I interned with GE Aviation the summer after my sophomore year (2016) and interned with Nike the summer after junior year (2017). My GE Aviation internship was in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the Service Performance and Analytics Division. I worked to create models that forecast widebody jet engine performance and maintenance cost to support servicing agreements. On a day to day I would attend meetings, develop cost models and analytics programs so that we could better predict engine servicing, and attend career development workshops offered for interns.  In the evenings I would play sand volleyball with the Xavier Volleyball team and with our GE Intramural League. I ultimately fell in love with the city. Last summer I interned with Nike in Portland, Oregon, which was a dream come true. I worked as a Global Procurement Intern in Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation. This meant that on a day to day my group would work to get Nike innovation projects out of the lab and into our factories by contracting global manufacturers. During my internship I also developed a supply market analysis to determine global sourcing locations for future manufacturing operations. Aside from our daily work, we would attend Nike fitness classes midday and play sand volleyball at lunch time. We had Nike speakers and tours of the different on campus facilities. Nike offered a unique company culture that encouraged teamwork and fitness anytime and anywhere. Nike also gave me a close group of friends. All of the interns got along and would get together on the weekends. We would hike at least once a weekend and took advantage of all that Nike and the Portland area had to offer. I know that so many of us would go back to last summer in a heartbeat. 

3. What are you excited for in your last semester at Carnegie Mellon?

I am so excited about Booth this year! I am in the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, and each year we build a two-story booth and compete at the Spring Carnival. The weeks surrounding Booth give me time to craft and do artwork that will be used in the booth, and also give me a nice break from school. There is nothing like hanging out with so many of my friends and blasting music and crafting, and then seeing all of that come together in the booth that Thursday before Carnival. I am also taking "Black and White Photography I" and am super excited to explore Western PA and get off campus to do some of my shooting. 

4. Why did you select your course of study – what class have you enjoyed the most?

I chose to study Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering because of my sport injury history. I came to CMU knowing that this school would be a great place to pursue this career path and where I could continue playing the sport I love at a high level. By studying both MechE and BME I was able to focus on the subject of biomechanics. I love being able to analyze the body to understand how it functions, and more specifically how it relates to sports and injuries. I really enjoyed my physiology and intro to biomechanics courses because they were the classes that focused on anatomy and biomechanics the most in my college coursework. My interest in this subject and my coursework has helped me decide the career path I want to take and the companies/industries I am pursuing. 

5. What career path are you looking to?

I am looking for a career involving both of my majors, preferably in either sporting equipment or rehabilitation equipment, and where I can combine my education, my experience, and my passion for athletics. I would love to have a career that integrates biomedical and mechanical systems in a way that enhances user performance and experience. I want to be involved in product development and manufacturing so that I can be close to both the product and the patient/athlete. For now, I am keeping my options open and applying to a variety of companies that I find to be doing interesting work in the fields of biomedical engineering, athletics, medicine, and manufacturing. 

6. What class has been recommended by your teammates or friends as a MUST TAKE class at CMU?

I think our team agrees that everyone should take 112, a CMU second level coding course that is supposed to be one of a kind and life changing but also a tremendous amount of work. It is definitely an off season kind of course. I have not actually taken the course, but I have heard great things about it.