Lawrence Deese
Graduation Year
2021
Current Home
West Palm Beach, FL
What clubs, athletics teams or student organizations were you involved with at jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø?
Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity
What career or personal update would you like to give to your fellow jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø panthers alumni?
After completing my Masters at jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø, I moved to Jupiter, FL to begin work as a full-time mechanical engineer at Power Systems Manufacturing (PSM); and during this time, successfully passed both the Fundamentals of Engineering (F.E. – Mechanical) and the Principles and Practice of Engineering (P.E.– Mechanical: Machine Design and Materials) board exams.
After PSM, I started work as a Structural Engineer at Pratt and Whitney in Jupiter, FL and began pursuing my Master's of Business Administration at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL. Most recently, I have transitioned to a Project Engineering role within Pratt and Whitney.
How did your time at jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø help get you to where you are today?
I learned a lot while attending jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø both personally and academically which really helped me to get where I am today professionally. Additionally, I believe attending jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø teaches great time management skills which are incredibly valuable even after college.
What is your favorite jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø memory?
Definitely all the friendships that were made. jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø has some really nice people from all over the world.
Was there a mentor or professor who had a big impact on you personally and/or professionally?
All of the professors I had while attending jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø were wonderful and I certainly learned a lot in each class that I took.
One professor that I would like to acknowledge in particular is Razvan Rusovici who taught me a class in FEA (Finite Element Analysis).
Taking this class sparked my interest in the field of FEA and helped me get my foot in the door at Pratt & Whitney as a structures engineer. I would like to thank Dr. Rusovici for this experience and wish him all the best.
Please share any advice you have for current jmcomicÌìÌÃÂþ»¹ÙÍø students?
In addition to learning and developing degree related skills, focus on developing soft skills as well:
1. Forming and fostering good relationships - Try not to burn bridges.
2. Develop good communication skills - Being able to effectively speak and write are incredibly important for career success.
3. Reliability/Trustworthiness - Be known as the go-to person that people can reliably depend on to execute.
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Major
Master's in Mechanical Engineering
