It would seem logical, when you're feeling swamped with work and overwhelmed with responsibilities, to cut back a little. To do fewer activities, perhaps, or lighten your course load.

Engineering senior Shannon Wheeler did exactly the opposite. And it was exactly the right choice.

Kevin Stearns/University Photography

Shannon Wheeler on Ho Plaza during Habitat for Humanity's annual Truss Days this spring.

Wheeler, a Syracuse, N.Y., native, will graduate in December with a degree in biological engineering and a minor in biomedical engineering. Four years ago, though, she wasn't sure she would make it.

"When I first came, it was really rough adjusting to Cornell," Wheeler says. Always involved in extracurricular activities and community service projects in high school, she initially cut back on those things at Cornell to cope with the workload. But something was missing -- and she was on the brink of filling out transfer applications when she decided to spend a Saturday volunteering at a work project for Habitat for Humanity.

She spent that day learning construction from the ground up -- taking tips from more seasoned volunteers and working beside the house's future occupants. She came away feeling more hopeful than she had in a while.

The next Saturday, she went back to help on another project. And with that, she was hooked.

In doing construction work for a good cause, Wheeler found the inspiration she had been missing. "Habitat allowed me to get back to what kept me happy in high school," she says. The engineering course load didn't get easier, but it seemed more manageable. She joined the governing board of the Cornell chapter of Habitat for Humanity, then became its president -- planning events, doing advocacy and fund raising, and still spending her Saturdays on job sites in Ithaca, Binghamton, Owego, Cortland and everywhere in between.

Meanwhile, she found her stride in engineering -- and a passion for the life sciences. She joined the Institute for Biological Engineers and served as chair for the Society of Women Engineers, doing outreach activities for each. And when not busy with that, working in the entomology department on West Nile virus research.

She doesn't plan to be an engineer -- "I need to work with people," she says. But she will put her training in biology and engineering to use in medical school or a related field.

Still, she says, Habitat for Humanity is her first love. And from the soon-to-be-homeowners working beside her, she finds inspiration.

"It's great to meet them, to get to know them, to know why it's important to them," she says. "Habitat is my life. It's a lot of fun."