{"684850":{"#nid":"684850","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Many Paths, One Major: Students on Choosing IE","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAs ISyE celebrates its first \u003Cstrong\u003EISE Day (September 15)\u003C\/strong\u003E we are shining a light on the many paths that lead students to industrial engineering. For some, it\u2019s the flexibility to shape a career around their passions. For others, it\u2019s the problem-solving mindset or the real-world impact they can make. Together, they show that there are countless answers to the question: Why IE?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFinding Flexibility and Purpose\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EFor \u003Cstrong\u003EAmanda Ehrenhalt\u003C\/strong\u003E, a fourth-year student from the east coast, the path to IE and Georgia Tech wasn\u2019t straightforward.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022I\u0027m originally from Philadelphia and I didn\u0027t know a ton about Georgia Tech, I didn\u0027t know a ton about IE, or anything. I have always been pretty sustainability, change and impact-driven. And when I came to Georgia Tech, I came in hoping to make my difference through sustainability as an environmental engineer. I quickly realized that the lab side of things was not my calling! So I changed majors to IE and what I tell everyone is that it is the best thing that I could have ever done for myself. It allows me to lean into the technical side of large-scale issues and topics. So things like optimization, efficiency, systems, all of these learnings can be applied to any interest and have intersection to everything in the world. I want to use the education I\u0027m receiving and apply that to what I\u0027m really interested in \u2014 making a change in this world through energy. I like that I get to use all the technical pieces of my degree towards a future career where I can make an impact.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Mindset for Problem Solving\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003ELike Ehrenhalt, \u003Cstrong\u003EAndrew Pietkiewicz\u003C\/strong\u003E, a fourth-year IE, started his college journey in another discipline before finding his fit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Originally, coming into Georgia Tech, I wasn\u0027t sure what I wanted to study. I knew that I wanted to major in engineering. I knew that I liked math, I was interested in coding. But above all else I was interested in problem solving and trying to find a degree where I felt I really could make an impact on the world around me. I came into my first semester Georgia Tech as a chemical engineering major and then I enrolled in our introductory engineering seminar course and was introduced to industrial engineering, and I was really excited by it. I think industrial engineering is special because it\u0027s so broad and rather than just being a discipline it\u2019s also really, a skill set, and honestly, a mindset for tackling a variety of different problems, for thinking about the world around you, and identifying ways to improve it, make it more efficient, and to make it better. That\u2019s kind of what drew me in. In my four years here as an industrial engineer, I\u0027m happy about the decision I\u0027ve made. I\u0027ve loved the breadth of my curriculum and the flexibility.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEarly Interest, Big Goals\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EFor some, like \u003Cstrong\u003EBryce Cannon\u003C\/strong\u003E, IE was the clear choice from the beginning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI knew I wanted to major in engineering in college, and I looked at each of the types of engineering [schools] at Georgia Tech. I saw that ISyE was business related, and I want study data analytics. And I also saw that ISyE ranks as the number one undergraduate program, so that\u0027s why I came here.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAmelia Lemmon\u003C\/strong\u003E, a fourth-year student, connected the dots between event planning in high school and the analytical problem-solving skills she found in ISyE.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022As a high school student, I had the opportunity to plan a large-scale event for around 500 people, and it truly ignited a passion for me. Finding the best way to make the event run smoothly, and ensure that no one was ever bored, hungry, or had to wait in a line gave me such rewarding challenges to solve. From then, I worked to find a field that I could solve those problems but still heavily use analytical thinking. And IE has given me exactly that ever since! Studying IE has equipped me with a toolkit I can use to solve a variety of problems in both my personal and professional life. I would love to work in a supply chain or manufacturing role after I graduate, and ISyE has equipped me with the education and network to get there. More than anything, I want to land in a career that truly embodies Progress and Service.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPaths of Discovery\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EFor others, IE was a discovery they didn\u2019t expect at first.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETanijoluwa \u201cTani\u201d Alofe\u003C\/strong\u003E, a second-year student, explained, \u201cI did not know about IE when I first arrived to Tech, as I originally applied as a biology major. I am interested in entrepreneurship, and I took the S1301 course, and IE piqued my interest. I love computer science and so now I\u0027m on a concentration for data analytics. I\u0027m hoping to one day have my own business.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETransfer student \u003Cstrong\u003EBrian Castro\u003C\/strong\u003E shared how his family\u2019s background shaped his decision.\u003Cbr\u003E\u201cI found out IE is like \u2018business\u2019 engineering. When I was growing up, my dad owned a landscaping business. He wasn\u2019t the most fluent in English, so I was a sixth grader helping him communicate with clients. And I felt always smart enough to be an engineer, so I figured why not major in something I\u0027ve grown up around.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd for \u003Cstrong\u003EDavid Baker\u003C\/strong\u003E, a first-year IE, it\u2019s the versatility of the major that stands out.\u003Cbr\u003E\u201cIE is sort of the broad scope of engineering; in terms of the things you can do. Whether working with different companies to solve problems, like supply chain, or tackling real-world challenges that are facing our community, as I\u2019ve seen capstone projects that worked with food banks. I am not quite sure what I want to do yet, but it\u2019s the interdisciplinary approach with the major that interests me.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe first-ever \u003Cstrong\u003EISE Day\u003C\/strong\u003E (September 15) celebrates the diverse journeys that led students to choose the nation\u2019s top-ranked IE program. From discovering a passion for problem-solving to pursuing sustainability, entrepreneurship, or data analytics, each student shares how IE has given them the flexibility, tools, and mindset to make an impact in the world. Their stories highlight the many paths that lead to one major, and the community they\u2019ve found along the way.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From first-year students to seniors preparing for graduation, each shared their unique journey into IE, and how the major has shaped their goals and aspirations."}],"uid":"36736","created_gmt":"2025-09-15 01:47:24","changed_gmt":"2025-09-15 01:52:18","author":"ebrown386","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-09-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-09-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677992":{"id":"677992","type":"image","title":"Why IE?","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom curiosity to purpose, these ISyE students found their path in Industrial and Systems Engineering, a major that empowers them to shape change and make an impact.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1757900931","gmt_created":"2025-09-15 01:48:51","changed":"1757900931","gmt_changed":"2025-09-15 01:48:51","alt":"Why IE?","file":{"fid":"261962","name":"Why-IE.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/14\/Why-IE.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/14\/Why-IE.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":132042,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/14\/Why-IE.jpg?itok=V4j76YDQ"}}},"media_ids":["677992"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"}],"categories":[{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39541","name":"Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EErin Whitlock Brown, Communications Manager II\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}