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| Sara Purdy stands in front of a wind tunnel used for fluids laboratory research in Upson Hall. Frank DiMeo/University Photography |
A superb example of grace under pressure is Sara Purdy, a mechanical and aerospace engineering major. Throughout her Cornell career she has played varsity sports (first tennis and then squash), conducted engineering research and done tutoring and other volunteer work, all the while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average and making the dean's list each semester.
Purdy, who moved to St. Louis two years ago but grew up in Manchester, Mass., initially was surprised by her academic results at Cornell.
"A girl from my high school came here three years before I did and she said, 'They work you really hard.' Which is true. But I guess I thrive under pressure, trying to manage tennis and studying and everything else," Purdy said.
She attended Cornell to continue a long-standing love for tennis, having played in junior leagues since she was 14, but also to maintain academic independence.
"I didn't want to take a scholarship. I actually turned down Georgia Tech because I wanted to be able to really study, and if the coach owns you, you can't," she said. "Ivy League schools are the only ones that play quality Division I tennis but don't have scholarships."
Last year she decided to switch to varsity squash. "I needed a new challenge. I wasn't really enjoying practicing anymore. It was still competitive for me, but in the wrong way," she said.
Playing sports has been a major time investment for Purdy, who says she spent 20 hours each week for all but one month out of the school year on athletics and was away from campus most weekends for games. "It was great, I loved it. Sports let me see another side of Cornell."
Purdy chose to study mechanical engineering partly to follow in her grandfather's footsteps. "My grandfather was a mechanical engineer who ended up in consulting, and I have looked up to him since I was pretty small," she said. "I also had an interest in math and science since maybe freshman year of high school."
Since last summer, Purdy has researched wake interference and drag reduction with Charles H.K. Williamson, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow. The application of the research is air resistance in large trucks. "It has been great. Hard work at times, but really rewarding," Purdy said.
Purdy also volunteered at a home to assist teen-age mothers in St. Louis for two years, and before that she volunteered at a battered children's shelter in Manchester. At Cornell, she tutored an hour a week and participated in such community projects as Into the Streets.
This fall, Purdy will start work with Anderson Consulting in Boston. "I looked at a bunch of engineering jobs and then did a little soul-searching over winter break, and I decided I didn't want to be in the technical world as a mechanical engineer. I thought consulting was a good way to still do some technical stuff but also get out and be around people."