The University of Kentucky College of Engineering has offered unlimited opportunities for John Wright both in, and out, of the classroom. Just one of the many reasons he decided to venture away from his home in Louisville and become a wildcat.

“UK’s Engineering program is excellent.  The instruction extends beyond the classroom through the many active student organizations, internships, and research programs available to UK students.  These opportunities give UK students an edge over many others whose schools have not developed to this level,” he says. It was the experience to be gained from these opportunities that shaped Wright’s learning path from his first walk on to campus to those last few steps he will take on commencement day this upcoming May.

“When I came to UK, I initially declared my major as Electrical Engineering.  I came in with a lot of AP credit hours, so I started taking EE courses my first year,” he says. But just after his first year Wright accepted an internship at GE Transportation.  It was upon returning to UK in the fall that Wright says he took on a part-time job at Lexmark and decided to add computer engineering as a double major.

Wright says, “the summer after my second year, I started doing research with the Hastings Research Group in the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CeNSE). Since I’ve worked there, I have helped develop an intra-ocular pressure sensor.”

After such a great experience with nanoscale technologies it came as no surprise that in his senior year Wright decided to added computer science as his third, and hopefully final, major.

Wright is a firm believer in UK’s hands on approach with “procedures, concepts, and skills from research that classroom education simply cannot teach.” However, that does not mean that while Wright has been hard at work with his three majors, co-ops, and research that he hasn’t found time to be involved in other areas of UK.

“I have also been involved with a number of campus organizations.  I am an officer of the UK Entrepreneurs Club (EClub), president of the Engineering Honor Society, Tau Beta Pi, I was a resident advisor (RA) in the Kirwan III residence hall, and I was a mentor for the Engineering Summer Program (ESP),” he says.

With so much going on it would be easy to become overwhelmed, but Wright has found it all very exciting. “I have had a great time here at UK,” he says. “The instruction has been wonderful, but what has truly helped me succeed is the extracurricular activities with which I’ve been involved.”