Name: Jackie Youngs
Nickname: No, I’m just Jackie.
Year/Age: Freshman, 18
Hometown: South Bend, IN
Major: Intelligent Systems Engineering
Favorite TV Show: Grey’s Anatomy
Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite Social Media Channel: Snapchat
Favorite Restaurant in B-town: Farm
Favorite Getting Ready Song: “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” from Lilo and Stitch
Celebrity Crush: Ryan Reynolds
What is your favorite thing about your major?
I enjoy my major because I have the ability to choose how I want to implement it. I also think it’s cool that I am one of the first people to experience the engineering program here at IU.
What is your least favorite thing about your major?
The coursework is extremely rigorous. We do not have any blow-off classes and there is absolutely no room to slack off in our program.
Does the heavily weighted male:female ratio within your major effect you whatsoever?
Due to the increased amount of males in my program, it is difficult not to. Day to day, it does not really affect me. There is a lot of camaraderie and everyone is in the same position, so it’s nice to have someone else that understands the difficult classwork. However, working with a group can be extremely hard as a female sometimes. There are times when the men within the program will assume that just because I am a girl, that I am not as intelligent. I try my best to be positive and show that I am just as smart as all of the boys in our program, but it is difficult when you’re the minority.
Where do you plan on going after IU in terms of your career?
If I go the engineering route, I would like to go into the biomedical engineering field, specifically neuroprosthetics. If I choose to not go the engineering route, I would like to continue my education here at the IU Medical School.