Hello! I’m Mary Boltri and am currently attending Ohio State University for Undeclared Engineering. I graduated from Notre Dame Preparatory Academy with Highest Honors in May of 2016. I decided to go to OSU because I loved the welcoming community, the numerous academic opportunities, and the university’s dedication to Humanitarian Engineering.
In high school, I enjoyed participating in various clubs and activities. I was the trumpet section leader for marching band, the scouting captain for my school’s robotics team, and a peer leader coordinator for campus’s peer leader program. I also enjoyed finding unique ways to lead and become involved with my community. I tutored middle school students in science and math, I engaged in networking to encourage people to join our small Model UN club, and I organized and participated in service events through NHS and campus ministry. Along with my many interests, I also had a strong academic focus. Some of my favorite classes included physics, economics, statistics, and English. I loved the practicality of knowing how our world is influenced by physics and statistics, and I also loved the complexities of exploring more hidden parts of our world through economics and English. Both my interest in participating in my community and my focus on academics are very important to me and are passions I want to continue through college and throughout my life.
Throughout college so far, I have created an worked towards many goals. My primary goal was to discover what careers I am most interested in and begin developing a pathway to those careers. I identified that my interest in math and science, my passion for helping other on a large scale, and my dedication to teamwork could only lead me to engineering. I have supported this decision by going through Ohio State’s first year engineering program, where I have taken valuable classes in Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering. Additionally, my love for sustainability has lead me to primarily focusing on Ecological or Environmental Engineering. I have supported this interest by joining the Engineers for a Sustainable World club, where I will be helping my sub-group in a water desalination project throughout the semester.
Another main goal of mine was to be involved on campus and in my community, so I’m also excited to be part of many other organizations that promote helping others and hard work. I am a member of the Humanitarian Engineering Scholars Program, which is a program that allows students to explore the different ways that engineering can help the needy and marginalized through design projects and outreach. I work as an Office Assistant in my residence hall for about 10-12 hours a week, promoting a friendly atmosphere and keeping track of different office-related tasks. Specifically to become more engaged with the Columbus community, I joined the Semester of Service Program, where I volunteer at Columbus’s largest food pantry for about 4 hours a week. These different organizations allow me to learn more about the world around me and to give back to my community, so these have truly been the defining parts of my college career.
Although I must still pick between Ecological Engineering and Environmental Engineering, I see a clear path in front of me. I am ultimately working towards a future career which will ideally have me working with people and developing innovations that will improve their lives. I know that sustainability is the future of our world, and through studying engineering and becoming involved with internships, co-ops, and jobs with dedicated companies, I will be part of defining our future.