The joy of studying industrial engineering, according to Alyssa Peterson, is that once she graduates from North Carolina State University, the world is her oyster and she can, essentially, go into any field she wants.

Peterson said she didn’t think engineering was a path she would go down, but she was interested in STEM.

Peterson credits much of her success to attending CMS schools, especially Park Road Montessori School. Being in the Montessori program allowed Peterson to learn independently, and, as she describes, felt like she was “learning without it feeling like learning.”

“You don’t even notice you’re learning because of how they do things and that worked for me,” said Peterson. “It’s very hands-on. You’ll be doing puzzles, but you’re also learning math and you don’t realize you’re doing it. I thought it was really unique.”

After leaving Park Road Montessori, Peterson attended Waddell Language Academy, now the South Academy of International Languages, and the Charlotte Engineering Early College.

“(Charlotte Engineering Early College) turned out to be an amazing opportunity,” said Peterson. “I was able to be part of something we called the engineering ambassadors which was just a small little program where five or six of us would help out new students as they integrated into the school because it was so fast paced.”

Peterson is currently studying at North Carolina State University and is completing a co-op with a fiber optic cabling company. The Cooperative Education Program allows students the opportunity to gain hands-on job experience while pursuing a degree.

Through the co-op, Peterson said she’s learned a lot and that the company will include her in different meetings and projects to get her input.

Thinking back to her time in CMS, Peterson said her classes and teachers helped prepare her for where she is today.

“I think oftentimes the reason why I have so many good memories with my teachers is because the schools themselves were so great,” said Peterson. “My mom is a CMS employee and knew which schools I would thrive in, and those schools catered to how I learn best. My teachers were also great because they understood that not every student is the same and could tailor our experiences. I got lucky.”

Over the summer, Peterson said she’s going to study abroad for a month in South Korea and will travel to Japan with her dad after the program ends. She’s still deciding what she wants to do after she graduates, but as an industrial engineering major, she has a lot of options.

“My time at NC State and in the co-op has shown me that life isn’t going to be as scary as I thought it would be,” said Peterson.