Lindsay France and Matthew Fondeur/University Photography

An electrical and computer engineering major, Swingle developed a Web-based course schedule planning tool, choreographed dance and competed on the Cornell Snake Arm team.

Major: Electrical and computer engineering
College: Engineering
Hometown: Gainesville, Fla.

As a native Floridian, attending Cornell gave me the opportunity to experience snow. However I chose Cornell for more than that; Cornell offered a first-rate engineering education on a beautiful campus surrounded by incredible natural vistas.

Sailing. I first tried it in a physical education class. Boating on Cayuga Lake is truly a pleasurable pastime and has provided me with a great study break. It is a hobby I plan to take with me after graduation.

Also, my roommates and I started Coursetopia.com, which features a Web-based platform designed to simplify life for college students by giving them access to better search and browsing of the schedule of classes and by generating all possible schedules for a specific course roster.

Taking the skills I learned in the classroom and applying them in the real world during two summer internships at Spirit Aerosystems. I realized that I like to get my hands dirty. Additionally, the hands-on learning involved in working on the electrical engineering design team Snake Arm (a semi-automated robotic arm for industrial, military, surgical and biological applications; the team competes nationwide) taught me that I enjoy working with a team to transform ideas into actual fabrications. I participated in the design of the control algorithm and graphical user inference of the arm as a member of the electrical team.

A George and Harriet Cornell Scholarship, a Leon B. Rousseau Scholarship and a Cornell grant, all of which helped me tremendously with the financing of my engineering degree.

Choreographing. When I enrolled in Dance Composition as an elective, I never imagined I would be watching a dance performance from the viewpoint of a choreographer. Being an active participant in the spring 2007 student faculty show "Room" totally changed and expanded my view of the performance arts. As a choreographer, I had many decisions to make: dancers, musical accompaniment, costumes, lighting and curtain type. Working outside my comfort zone of math and science, I discovered that an artist/performer is inside everyone, even this engineering major.

Building my first snowman freshman year, exploring all the state parks within 30 miles of Ithaca, skipping rocks at Ithaca Falls and walking the gorges are just a few of the memories I will cherish.

I am considering business and law school. I intend to take the patent bar exam next year (which is open to those with an engineering or science degree to become a registered patent agent). I hope to use my engineering degree to create a world that is greener and cleaner. Ultimately, I plan to create intellectual property and manufacture happiness.