Page 23: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q3 2016)

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FACES IN THE CROWD

Alessandra Kahl

SUNY Maritime College

Major: Marine engineering

Graduation Year: 2016

Why this school? What one thing should prospective employers know

I’ve always been mechanically inclined. I come from a long about you?

line of blacksmiths and machinists. I’ve always been good at I’m a really eager, hard worker. I’ve never stepped away tools so I wanted to do something with my hands. It helped from a challenge. This whole school is a challenge, so you me decide to go here because I got a scholarship and because I can’t. When I come out of here, I won’t know everything but had a ship to work on during the year and there are a lot of job I’m excited to go out and continue learning on the ships. For opportunities. I like the idea of engineering at SUNY Mari- an engineer to say I love working with people is weird, but time better than at another college, because it physically trains it’s true. you for the job rather than just telling you about it.

Tell us about your at sea training or internships.

What keeps you here? Before I came here, I’d heard about the cadet-shipping pro-

De? nitely the people and the hands-on nature of the college gram. I knew it was something I needed to do because it would are my favorite things. I have the best friends here. It takes re- give me experience in the real world. I did it last summer, ally good people to do these programs. Having our own ship is where I shipped out with TE Subcom, a cable-laying com- the best part. It gives you a better opportunity for a real educa- pany. It was the best experience I could have had. We spent a tion, rather than hypotheticals. month in Portland, Oregon, which gave me time to take apart everything in the engine room with the second engineer. They

What is your major and what career do you intend to were really good at showing me and helping me to develop my pursue? skills and knowledge. Then we spent a month at sea, checking

I’m studying marine engineering, which I love because it cables down the California coast.

focuses on ship systems engineering – how the whole plant works together. I want to sail out, at least until I get my ? rst engineer license. After that, I think I want to be a port engineer.

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