Student Spotlight: Maddy Counts

Maddy Counts is a junior mechanical engineering major from Charlotte, North Carolina.  Her journey with PEER&WISE began when she was a mentee her freshman year here at Clemson.  Her sophomore year, she decided she wanted to become a WISE mentor and she has been doing that since, along with being a tutor for mechanical engineering courses in the PEER&WISE study hall.  She describes PEER&WISE as her “family away from home.”  Maddy is so grateful for all the opportunities to grow and learn as an individual and all the friendships and relationships that the PEER&WISE program has brought her.  Next year, she plans to participate in the BS/MS program at Clemson.  She is super excited to gain experience in graduate level courses and feels that it will help her to decide what she wants to do after she graduates.  To gain work experience in the real world, Maddy is also planning to intern at Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tennessee this summer.   She is so excited to explore a new place and meet many new people.  Her advice to other students is to go to office hours, ask for help, and remain humble through all your experiences.  She feels that there is something to learn from every person you meet.  Maddy retook statics and dynamics for a second time and she feels that it taught her to be honest with herself about her understanding of course material and it expanded her curiosity about what she was learning.  She also recommends that students get involved on campus and find groups that share similar interests and push you to be better.  She says, ” Having a group of people around me that keep me accountable and want to see me succeed has been a great help.”