Don’t be:
- afraid to ask questions
- too stubborn to ask for help
Those are the two key lessons Academic Excellence Award Recipient and Mechanical Engineering graduate Andrew Frechette learned throughout his four years at Dunwoody College.
“I’ve always been the kind of person who likes to take things apart to learn how it works, and that goes well with a hands-on education like the one you get at Dunwoody,” he said.
Frechette was familiar with the College, having had a great-grandfather attend for Welding, but it wasn’t until after he toured the campus that he knew it was going to be a good fit for him, too.
He was drawn to the Mechanical Engineering program — not only because of the variety of subjects he would get to study, but also due to the collaborative environment he would get to be involved in.
“What I enjoyed most about my time at Dunwoody would have to be the connection I have made with my peers and instructors. They have made the experience excellent and helped me learn so much,” he said. “From the instructors to the facilities and curriculum — the experience you get at Dunwoody won’t be like anything you will find at another university.”
“Andrew is always ready to come to class and is actively engaged in his learning, willing to help other students,” said Associate Professor Jonathan Aurand. “He is constantly going above and beyond.”
Receiving the Academic Excellence Award this spring meant a great deal to Frechette.
“It meant that the hard work and countless late nights I have had in the last four years hasn’t been for nothing,” he said.
“I’ve learned a host of unique skills related to my field — CAD modeling, circuits, programming, control systems — but by far the biggest lesson I’ve learned is perseverance. Never quit.”
Projects like his Senior Capstone were a highlight, allowing Frechette and his classmates to collaborate with faculty and sponsors while refining and applying skills they were developing throughout their course of study.
These are the type of real-world projects that help to build skills for the workforce. And Frechette already has his foot in the door.
“I currently have an internship at a company called MFT Automation in White Bear Lake and have a full-time position waiting for me when I graduate,” he said.
He is looking forward to future working in automation: “I hope to improve the lives of others through the designs that I make in the engineering field — creating systems that automate processes that have yet to be automated.”