Brian Rogers

On my first visit to campus, I was overwhelmed with the opportunity that was presented in front of me while walking through the labs. The quality of the labs and the amount of equipment available to my disposal made me eager to learn more about the field of manufacturing. I knew from the beginning; Penn College was going to be right for me and I would be able to walk away from this program with a significant amount of skill.

One of my favorite projects up to this point is machining uprights on a 5-axis machining center for the Baja Team. Each time I have made them, there has always been a challenging aspect that is usually difficult to machine. The challenge that is presented to me always creates excitement as I have to adapt to learning new toolpaths and alternative ways to make the process more efficient. Creating toolpaths that make people want to stay and watch is always rewarding.

There are many routes that you can go, which makes finding a job and future career interesting. Whether you’re into medical or military, there is something that you can find to make a solid career from. It is also no secret that technology around us is changing fast and to be a part of the growing change is exciting.

I first became interested in Baja when I saw what the team’s success was in previous years. The team offered an environment that was right up my ally. The pride that goes into making a car that everyone shares is something that I wanted to experience.

I am most looking forward to an even better suspension system for this year. The team took on the challenge of making our own shocks, however with that came a lot of trial and error. This year we have a solid grasp on how we can make our new suspension more efficient. If all goes according to plan, we feel confident that we could be right back at the top of the leaderboards.

Currently, I am the President of the team and I hope to create a cohesive environment. A team does not work together when everyone is scattered so encouraging teamwork is always a top priority. Everyone on the team has unique ideas and trying to put all of those ideas into one can be challenging. Creating an environment where all ideas are welcome, even if that idea doesn’t come to fruition, prepares us for the real world.

There are many opportunities for involvement on campus, and everyone can find their comfort. Whether it’s robotics, sports, or racing, many opportunities exist on campus. Some consider these years the best years, so why not take advantage of what is out there?

Both have been a tremendous addition to my Penn College experience. The cleanliness of the labs and state of the art equipment has allowed for quality parts and hands on learning. The donation of Ken and Kristie Healy to support the new Baja room has been a tremendous help to the overall workflow of the team. We are able to store more things in the room which makes assemblies go easier, and we can support a growing team. We are very fortunate to have both facilities at our disposal.

Industry partners allow Penn College to stand out against other schools. They support degree specializations by donating new equipment and resources to allow more state of the art learning. The career fair is always full of companies that want to hire Penn College students too and there is always competition to get into the career fair. Additionally, to everyone who supports the Baja team, a thank you is not enough as you are a massive contributor to the team’s success!