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Andrea Alcalde is a junior majoring in chemical engineering. She was born in Peru but came to America when she was 15 years-old. Her family lives in Newark, but she lives in the Laurel Hall residence hall at NJIT.

Favorite bands:
Cold Play, the Beatles, Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

On my iPod:
A lot of rock, alternative and club.

Why NJIT?
When I was a junior in high school, I participated in summer programs at Princeton University and Rutgers. After those experiences, I decided I wanted to go to college close to home. My family lives in the Ironbound section of Newark. At first, I wanted to study architecture at NJIT and I was recruited to play tennis here. Everything was pushing me towards the school, and I’m glad I chose it. Even though I now study engineering, not architecture, it’s great because NJIT has one of the best engineering programs in America.


Your Major?
Architecture was my first choice when I came to NJIT, but I always liked chemistry and organic chemistry. I also always liked designing as well as science classes, so I switched to chemical engineering. I use my creativity and science knowledge in chemical engineering. It’s a versatile major that offers many options after graduation.

Favorite class:
My favorite classes have been the freshmen fundamentals of design-engineering for chemical engineers, chemistry, and analytical and organic chemistry lab. These classes exposed me to knowledge that I will later use in my career.

What’s best about NJIT?
I’d say the small class sizes. There are never more than 30 students in your class. It’s easy to interact with you classmates and your professors, who you get to know personally. NJIT has also helps students find co-op jobs and summer internships. It hosts two careers fairs during the fall and spring, when major companies come to recruit us. NJIT also has many clubs and groups that help students get involved on campus.

Clubs and activities:
I work in the residence halls as a residence assistant, which allows me to interact with different types of people. It’s a good job, especially for students who like to stay close to campus and get involved in the community. Athletics is also a big plus at NJIT. I belong to the Women’s Tennis Team and am a former member of the Women’s Swim Team. And now that NJIT is playing Division I sports, athletes have the opportunity to face more challenging teams and to travel to play games in different parts of the country. I'm also a student ambassador who gives tours to high school students

Research/Work Experience:
Last summer I had an internship with ExxonMobil in Fairfax, Virginia. The internship gave me the chance to work in my field, in a real job at a very early phase of my career. It also allowed me to work with different people in a new environment, which was amazing both personally and professionally. I’ll intern again this summer with ExxonMobil, this time working a different job in a refinery in Chicago. This is invaluable work experience that will help my career immensely.

Career goal:
I want to become a very good chemical engineer, and work either in the petroleum or the cosmetic’s industry. I hope also to get a PhD either in chemical engineering or perhaps another field I have yet to explore.