Meat Ian Rivera, Electrical Engineering & Music

My name is Ian Rivera I'm a Double Major in Electrical Engineering in Music at Jacksonville University.

I believe music does make me a better problem solver, you're doing a lot of calculations on how to play certain notes. You have to do a lot of cross referencing between different scores. That can be applied to engineering because you constantly have to make cross references between different subjects in order to eventually arrive at the final product.

I chose JU because they had Electrical Engineering and a Music program that I liked. I was like: this has to be the best option because I'm able to do both things at the same time.

My professor Dr Lockwood, when I talked about my interest in music and I really wanted to be a part of JU. Now, when I told her I also wanted to do Engineering she believed that it was possible.

I currently play the Cello for the Jacksonville University Orchestra. My mother was a flautist. She has a Master's of Music and she really made sure that music was present in my life. My parents got me a cello when I was around third grade and then ever since I just loved it so much.

So I've been in music education for basically most of my life. My passion for engineering started at a young age I used to dismantle everything because I really wanted to know how it worked.

My father he did a lot of soldering work when he was younger, so when I showed interest in soldering, in electronics, he really showed me how to do it and that practice has translated to JU and helping me in the engineering department helping as a teacher's assistant and being able to help other students with solder work and also electronic work as well.

The STEAM Institute recently just opened and it's wonderful! It has a bunch of labs that helps Engineers really come together as a group and come up with nice little solutions to problems. The STEAM Institute has really set the bar for many other schools and really trying to cultivate problem solving because now we have graphic designers literally in the same classrooms as us.

So, when I graduate, I hope to be able to pursue a Masters in Music and eventually when I finish my music education I would like to go back for a Master's in Engineering.

I believe JU has made me a lifelong learner. I'm not done learning just because I get a piece of paper.

My name is Ian Rivera and I'm a Future.Maker!