By Heather Cass
Publications Manager, Office of Strategic Communications,  Penn State Behrend

Penn State Behrend’s class of 2018 is ready to make its mark on the world!  We’re proud of our students and the things they’ve accomplished and learned while here at Behrend. Over the next couple months, we’ll be introducing you to a few of our remarkable seniors who have overcome challenges, pioneered new technology, participated in important research projects, and left an impression at Penn State Behrend.

Today, we’d like you to meet Zachery Smith:

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Hometown: Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania

Scholarships: I received the Penn State Provost Award and the Chancellor’s Award

On choosing Behrend: I started my college career at Penn State New Kensington, which was in my hometown. After experiencing that, I realized that having small class sizes and personal interactions with professors created a more ideal learning environment and figured Behrend would be the best place to finish my degree.

On choosing his major: I excelled at physics and mathematics in high school. I also had a passion for working on cars and other mechanical systems. I was constantly tearing things apart to understand how they worked.

Proudest accomplishment at Behrend: My senior design team and I drove to the NASA Space Marshall Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to visit our industry sponsor and see some of the equipment that we will be working with for our capstone project.

Definition of a good life: Sitting on a beach listening to Jimmy Buffet and drinking margaritas.

Advice for new students: Don’t sell yourself short; hard work goes a long way.

Following his graduation in May, Zachery has accepted a position as an engine development and validation engineer at General Motors Global Propulsion Systems.