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Lauren Thompson is a junior at NJIT. She grew up in Staten Island and commutes to NJIT, where she majors in civil engineering.

Favorite movie:
Can’t Hardly Wait

Favorite bands:
Dashboard Confessional, Jimmy Eat World, Gym Class Heroes, Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail and anything else that rocks.

On my iPod:
Everything by the above bands.

Why NJIT?
I wanted to commute to school and go to school in a city, but schools in Manhattan were too expensive or didn’t have a good engineering department; NJIT had a good mix of both.

Your major and why you chose it?
I'm a civil engineering major. I wanted to be challenged intellectually but still work on hands-on projects, which is a big part of civil engineering. The field also has a lot of variety. This semester, for example, I’m taking a class on water systems and geotechnics. Also, after I graduate, I could work in any of a number of industries. So I don’t feel like I'm boxed into one area of interest.

Favorite class:
I like all the civil-engineering labs. For Surveying Lab we got to survey a section of campus. It was nice to have a lab class outdoors with my friends, and the final project was something that I could show to a possible employer. Not only that but it felt good to be able to have something you worked on look and be professional. My fluid mechanics lab class was fun, too. We basically got to play with water the entire semester. Even though we were learning, it felt like an elementary school class where we got to play with cool stuff.

The best part of the labs is taking the classes with the same people. You really get to know your classmates and when you take classes with your friends it makes them really enjoyable.

What’s best about NJIT?
I really like the people. It was what made me come to school at NJIT. I visited a lot of other schools but I really liked the students here. I just feel like I fit in here, which I think is most important when picking a school because it’s your home for at least four years.

Clubs and activities:
I'm on the Honors College Council, the NJIT Women’s Swim Team, and the civil engineering steel bridge team. I belong to the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, I assist the honors college social committee, and I’m a student ambassador, which means I give tours to high school students.

Student Ambassador?
I like being the person who introduces high school students to the school. I like meeting prospective students and talking to them about the school. I also talking to them about what they want in a school and giving them advice on choosing the right college.

Favorite on-campus spots?
I like the Honors College lounge. It has become a second home to me. I even sleep there sometimes. The students who come to hang out there are like my family. I spend more time there then I do at my house. I think that all commuters should find a spot like that. You need someplace to go when you’re at school, and mine is the honors lounge.

Career goal:
When I was at my freshman orientation, I met my one of my closest friends, Giancarlo. We decided then that when we graduated we would start our own civil engineering firm. Three years later, we still share the same career goal.