Gretchen Gundersen

She/Her
Class of 2027
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: Columbia, Maryland

What motivated you to become a ClarkLEADER?
As a ClarkLEADER, I want to help share the same experience that I had when I did ClarkLEAD: to bring people together. I find that it is important to learn and grow through different backgrounds, allowing yourself to further understand the everchanging and diverse world all around. Plus, it is important to create connections - you never know where some relations and friendships might lead!

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with new Maryland Engineering Students?
Talk to your fellow classmates! Honestly, I went into the University of Maryland thinking I was perfectly fine with working on my own. Boy was I wrong! Once I started engaging with my peers, I found it a lot easier to get through the semester - holding study sessions, messaging eachother questions, and simply working out various classroom problems (which you will have plenty of). On top of that, I made some real valuable friendships which I am very thankful to have.

What are some organizations or extracurricular activities you think new students should know about?
During my freshman and sophomore years, I was apart of the Flexus living and learning community. This community is also paired with another, Virtus, which allows you to interact with various engineering cohorts. Throughout my time in it, I was able to bond with other peers all while learning the importance of becoming an engineer (and the impact that comes with it). I'd also recommend joining clubs that might not be engineering. In my experience, engineering can be very draining at times so it is important to find ways to get your mind off of it every once in a while. With my spare time, I enjoy playing intramural volleyball (through IM League) and going to weekly Coffee Club events (which has free coffee!!).

If you attended ClarkLEAD as a first-year student, what did you enjoy most about the event?
My favorite part of ClarkLEAD had to have been talking to the people around me. Going in, I barely knew anyone. But as I began talking to the people who sat around me, I was able to meet so many wonderful people - hearing about where they came from, their passions for engineering, and their ultimate goals. By the end of the experience, I felt much more comfortable entering my first year of engineering, excited to interact with more fellow engineers all with their own unique stories to tell.