Chasing challenges

Building a lunar robot? Standing atop a wind tower? For Leader in Action Carrie Carpenter, such adventures are all in a college day’s work 

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy declared, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

It’s a sentiment that Carrie Carpenter has carried with her through her education at the University of North Dakota. She is no stranger to hard work. In fact, she even enjoys it.

Carrie continued to take the hands-on experiences she gained from her classes and apply that knowledge to more opportunities through her involvement in other campus organizations and various internships around the country.

When Carrie came to UND to pursue mechanical engineering, she had no idea of the opportunities that awaited her. As part of the Engineers Without Borders organization during her freshman and sophomore years, Carrie was able to help build a water distribution and purification system for those without access to clean water in Guatemala.

“That’s something I’ve really appreciated from these groups; it gives us an opportunity to take what we’re learning in class and actually apply it,” she said.

Read and watch more about Carrie and her successful career at UND.