Addison Stromgren

He/Him
Class of 2026
Major: Aerospace Engineering
Hometown: Rockville, Maryland

What motivated you to become a ClarkLEADER?
I aspire to inspire. I came to UMD as a Freshman Connect student, admitted into the School of Letters and Sciences. I always knew I wanted to be an aerospace engineer, but the initial path there seemed steep. I had to take several required courses and obtain a certain grade to be eligible for admission into the James Clark School of Engineering in my sophomore year. When I attended the new student orientation as an incoming freshman connect student, the mountain I had to climb seemed especially hard to conquer, and I started having doubts whether I was going to get to my ultimate goal. During that orientation session, there was a student panelist who had also come as a freshman connect student and had since been admitted into the Clark School of Engineering and was on track to graduate that year. That student shared with us his experience, the community he built, the classes he excelled at, the internships he was able to attain, and the research was able to participate in. That student's story, shared very candidly, was extremely motivational and inspirational to me. Walking out of that session, I had a renewed sense of commitment to my path and a strengthened level of self-confidence. After 3 years, I am now a proud member of the Clark community and would love to pay back by inspiring others to follow their goals and dreams.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with new Maryland Engineering Students?
Know the resources available to you. UMD is a big school, but it also has a large infrastructure and large staff ready to help. You have to be your own advocate. If you are having challenges, academically, personally, or socially, please reach out. There is an office that will connect you with free academic tutors. Professors are available for requested meetings and they hold walk-in hrs to go over class material. Teaching assistants are a great resource and can give you great studying advice. There are many different spaces for studying. I initially stuck to my room, but then discovered all the different private study areas in the basement of various dorms. I tried different ones and found one dorm whose common study areas I really liked. Use the health center if you are not feeling well - they can run a rapid test to see if you have the flu, Covid, something else or just a common cold. You can then choose an effective treatment approach. The STAMP is a lively area - hosting everything from recruiter events to late night bowling games, so take a walk there any time if you are feeling down and need a little pick-up. The school is big, but strategically structured and staffed to make sure everyone has a place to go and a door to knock on.