John Kolba

I came to Lafayette with the disparate interests of engineering and theater, and they have been the center of my academic and extracurricular experiences here on campus. As a first-year student, I was fairly certain that I wanted to study electrical and computer engineering. My first semester confirmed that for me when I took Introduction to Engineering. Since then, my engineering course work has brought me to signal processing. This is the area of electrical engineering that I enjoy the most, and I am now writing a senior thesis comparing signal processing techniques. I have also been fortunate enough to work in this field for my summer job. I do radar data processing with The MITRE Corporation.

Another large block of my time has been devoted to my other love—theater. I have been involved in more than 10 productions over my years here. Mostly I have acted, but I have also done technical work. In addition to being in these shows, I have been able to take many courses in the Theater program. These have been a true blessing. I am currently taking a course in directing, something that I had never pictured myself doing before coming to college.

Perhaps what most defines my Lafayette Experience, however, are the strong friendships that I have made over the years. I have met people of all different backgrounds—some are from the suburbs like me, while others come from cities. I know scientists, liberal arts majors, and other engineers. Many students and faculty share my views on the world, but I have also met those whose opinions have encouraged me to think about the world around me. This is where the true power of Lafayette lies—in the varied people who make up the family. I have grown as a person and as a scholar through my time here. I know that I have been well prepared for graduate school and work in the professional world beyond.