Devontae Casey: the experiences "directly transferred into my systems engineering career the next day."

This is Devontae Casey's Cornell Systems Engineering story. What will your story be?
 

What does being a Cornellian mean to you?
To me, being a member of the Cornell community involves fostering a sense of inclusivity and belonging wherever I go.
 

Who inspired or influenced you during your time at Cornell?
During my academic career at Cornell, Professor David Schneider was a great inspiration to me. From the outset, Dave brought an unparalleled level of enthusiasm and thoroughness. He’s a provocateur, and it’s obvious he goes above and beyond daily for his students.
 

What will you miss the most about Cornell?
The sense of belonging and a community created by classmates and faculty.
 

What surprised you most about your Cornell experience?
I was continuously impressed by the level of engagement and collaboration among the faculty and my classmates during my time as a distance-learning M.Eng. student. I was able to participate in real-time during every class, meet with TAs outside of regular hours and arrange meetings with my peers when necessary.
 

What accomplishment as a Cornell student makes you most proud?
I am most proud of my contributions toward real-world systems engineering and model-based systems engineering problems before graduating from the institution. Often, the experiences I gained from the M.Eng. program directly transferred into my systems engineering career the next day.
 

What moments, big or small, made your Big Red experience special?
The M.Eng. program includes two residential courses. However, due to the pandemic, one of the courses had to be conducted entirely online. Although I enjoyed working with my peers via Zoom, I was pleasantly surprised to meet some of them in person during the next residential session. We have remained in touch ever since.