Back at It: Senior Year

Hey everyone,

I’m glad to be back at school and writing blogs again! Hope you enjoyed your summer, I sure did. If you didn’t get a chance to read about my summer internship at GE Healthcare go check it out! Anyways, in true fashion we are going to start off with the picture of the day. This one is a throw back to Freshman year at USC, it is our Viterbi class photo. What a great way to start my senior year, by remembering where I was just three short, let me emphasis short, years ago.

Viterbi Class of 2010

The rest of my summer was a blast. After I blogged last I completed my project at GE Healthcare which included helping to successfully launch a product internally and providing training to the salesforce on how to use the new Customer Relationship Management tool. I then drove through the night to get back home to Grafton from Milwaukee. 16 hours, 4 rest stops, and 6 cans of Monster later I got to see my family’s faces for the first time in about 13 weeks. It was awesome to be back! I caught up with friends, celebrated my birthday with my twin brother since we hadn’t been together since we turned 21, and finalized some project work for student organizations I am involved in this year. Before I knew it I was sitting in a leather airplane chair ordering a cheese and cracker plate and on my way back to Los Angeles.

Excited to be all moved in and back at @USC. Can't wait to be a @USCViterbi flag bearer at Convocation on Thursday either. #ViterbiLife

— Brenton Caldwell (@USCBrenton) August 19, 2013

Los Angeles early due to fraternity recruitment being the first week of classes and many of my involvements this year required me to meet with team members and project sponsors before the semester began. This semester has already been crazy with involvement, but I love every second of it. It’s senior year and now I take a lot of pride in my extra curriculars and my positions in them. I really feel as though they have helped me to develop as a person throughout my time at USC as much as my academic life has, and I really value that. This semester I will be doing the following things outside of class:

Freshman Academy Coach with my awesome Co-Coach Lyssa
Executive Vice President of the Interfraternity Council
President of Order of Omega (Greek Honor Society)
Working as a Viterbi Admission and Student Affairs Intern
Working on a project to highlight student life here at Viterbi with Sam

Also I have some cool news that started my senior year off on a high note. Remember that Phi Delta Theta Emerging Leaders Conference I told you I was going to over the summer? I went and had a blast working with other chapters all around the United States and Canada as a Peer Mentor. I also go the honor of being named Peer Mentor MVP after the conference was over. What does that mean? Well the part of being named Peer Mentor MVP it is that I get a bobble head with my face on it. I will take a picture as soon as I have the real thing in my possession.

: Peer Mentor MVP Award

: Natalie and I in front of Bovard with our flag and banner

: With all the CLP Interns from this summer

I know what you’re thinking … “that is one good looking bobble head, can I buy one?” So yes they will be on sale in a month or two … totally kidding. I also got to start the semester off by being asked to represent Viterbi by being a banner bearer for their convocation ceremony, to induct the new class into Viterbi. Of course I said yes! Natalie and I got to hoist the Viterbi flag and banner at the ceremony and it was so much fun. Also I got a return offer with GE Healthcare’s Commercial Leadership Program for next summer, so if I decide to accept that then I will have a relatively calm semester in terms of recruiting for internships. I will be able to just focus on my school work and student organizations.

So what about your classes Brenton? My classes have been awesome! As I may have told you all I got admitted to the Progressive Degree Program (4+1 master’s program) which means I will start taking classes towards my master’s degree this year. In addition, it means that I will be coming back to school next year. By the end of next year I will be graduating with an undergraduate degree in Bioemdical Engineering and a master’s degree in Engineering Management. This year I am taking four undergraduate classes and one master’s class.

BME 403 – Physiological Systems: A great class that is covering the anatomy associated with Biomedical Engineering.
BME 410 – Introduction to Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering: Taught by the department chair, Norberto, this class is amazing. We are learning about culturing cells, creating scaffolds, and which growth factors are necessary to cultivate different types of tissues.
CHEM 322B – Organic Chemistry Part Deux: You know the drill, OChem is the most fun you will never want to have again but our Professor, Dr. Broyer, is really great and carefully explains difficult concepts for us.
WRIT 340 – Advanced Writing: My professor is lively and is always super helpful. In my class we are writing carefully crafted blog posts on topics of our choice. My portfolio will be based on Biotechnology and my first post will be about the ethical dilemma of Designer Babies. I can’t wait to blog about my opinions on the field I have been studying for the previous three years.
ISE 515 – Engineering Project Management: My first graduate level class and it is amazing. We talk about the correct way to manage team dynamics and evaluate a lot of case studies. The coolest part of the class is that most of the students are older and have already been working in industry for a while. The perspective they bring is invaluable and I am learning a lot.

Also looking back at the last time I wrote a blog I didn’t fill you in on a bunch of great things that have happened. I ended my summer by going to Lollapalooza with a bunch of my friends. It is a big music festival in Chicago with some great bands like the Killers, Two Door Cinema Club, and Mumford & Sons. We had a blast and it was a great way to end the summer. In addition, Taylor took me to a Brad Paisley concert because she got a Country MegaTicket for her birthday. Chris Young and Lee Brice performed before and they were all great! Imagine listening to Parking Lot Party while surrounded by a bunch of intense country fans, I was sold. I will definitely be going back to more country concerts this year, maybe Stagecoach is in the cards? We’ll see. Also Phi Delt had our first invite last Friday and it was semi-formal. Taylor and I had a blast at the venue. The next day was the first home football game and it was great to be back at USC on Gameday. I wish there was a better outcome but I had lots of fun with all my friends.