On May 3, when Jimmy Marczuk, a senior student in the Department of Engineering Technology (TECH), arrived at the Scholarship, Staff, Faculty and Student Awards ceremony at the NIU Convocation Center, he began flipping through the event program.
It was only when he turned his gaze to the Outstanding Senior Award for Academic Achievement that the electrical engineering technology major realized he was the honoree in that category.
“I was very surprised,” Marczuk recalled. “I had so many excellent classmates. It was an awesome feeling. It made me appreciate all the hard work I put in during school. It’s definitely an honor.”
He received nominations for the award from Professor Abul Azad and Professor Shun Takai. Both noted his academic strength, including a 3.8 GPA, and his commitment to giving back to TECH specifically and the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology (CEET) more broadly.
“His deep knowledge about the TECH department and labs, coupled with his sincere and intelligent personality, made him an ideal representative for CEET and TECH as an ambassador,” Takai stated in his nomination letter.
Azad, who served as Marczuk’s advisor and taught him in five courses, lauded his “ability to overcome problems and barriers to achieve success. Jimmy exemplifies a good character, a professional demeanor, and a team player.”
A native of Maple Park, Ill. and 2020 graduate of Kaneland High School, Marczuk took a few moments to answer questions about his NIU CEET experiences.
What led you to come to CEET and how did your experience compare with your expectations coming into college?
When progressing through high school, I became interested in physics and electricity. At NIU, I saw that I could have a lot of lab instruction and smaller classroom sizes that would allow me to have a lot of interaction with my professors.
And that’s exactly what happened, the hands-on experience through my curriculum helped me land a great internship role which fortified the beginning of my career as an electrical engineer.
Please share about a class that stands out as a particularly engaging or important one during your time at NIU.
My favorite class was digital logic design. This was a class that featured the fundamentals of digital circuits that led me towards a greater interest in electronics. Professor Azad was super patient during the labs and made sure students learned from their mistakes.
What kind of extracurricular activities did you pursue?
I participated in the CEET Ambassadorship program for almost all four years at NIU. The program gave me opportunities to recruit potential students that were looking to study any type of engineering and engineering technology at NIU. I gave recruitment calls, toured at open houses, and talked on student panels.
What was your Senior Design Project and how was that experience?
My team’s project was 3-D Crane System that picked up metallic objects with a magnet. The system is used as a learning tool in the CEET/TECH automation laboratory.
It definitely prepared me for interviews for my full-time position. I learned so much through that experience, and to be a part of something from start to finish was a big education.
What was your biggest take-away from the experience?
It reinforced to me that I like both the design and hands-on part of engineering and engineering technology. This gave me a chance to directly apply what I learned through my courses and gave me confidence in my technical skills.
Who were some of your most influential professors and mentors at CEET?
As mentioned earlier, Dr. Azad was super influential as a professor and an advisor. He always made time to talk to me and had a genuine desire to see me succeed.
(CEET Director of Outreach and Diversity) Gary Smith was also a great mentor for me. He went the extra mile to show me what exactly the CEET had to offer and was a big reason for my choice to go here. He was always extremely kind and hoped the best for me.
What’s next for you?
I am currently an entry-level electrical engineer at ShadowTech Labs in Willowbrook. The company analyzes, assesses, develops, and integrates security solutions for nuclear power plants and the U.S. Department of Defense.
