Sophomore chemical and biomolecular engineering major Maggie Spitzbarth initially started her education at MSOE as a mechanical engineering major. After taking general chemistry her first year, she was fascinated and decided to switch her major to chemical and biomolecular engineering (CBE).

“I knew I made the right choice after taking a few CBE specific courses and being really interested in them,” said Spitzbarth.

Originally from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, Spitzbarth was drawn to MSOE because of its small class sizes and ability to be taught directly by professors. She also fell in love with the city of Milwaukee.

“I love Milwaukee and that MSOE is in the middle of a lot of fun areas so there is always something to do. When I toured campus, MSOE felt like home.”

In addition to her studies, Spitzbarth is involved on campus in a variety of groups. She is the campus representative for Theatre Troupe, MSOE’s student organization that puts on plays, musicals and other performances.

“I make a lot of the posters and advertisements for our events and manage our social media account. I also act in plays that we put on, have assistant directed and I will be singing a duet in our upcoming cabaret.”

She also is a CREATE Student Fellow. In this role, she works with MSOE’s CREATE Institute as a student representative in the maker spaces on campus, specifically the Nelson Prototyping Laboratory (NPL). Students utilize the variety of maker spaces on campus for both class and personal projects and Spitzbarth gets to help by showing them how to use the Cricut Maker, Prusa 3D Printers, button maker and other equipment within the NPL.

“As a CREATE Student Fellow, I like being able to help students in the NPL with their projects and come up with ideas so they feel like they can be successful at MSOE and in the future.”

Spitzbarth enjoys similar creative projects in her free time. She likes to knit and crochet making things for her family and friends such as her recently completed project: crochet turtles.

As she is halfway through her journey at MSOE, she is looking forward to the variety of possibilities for after her graduation made possible by her MSOE education.

“I will have many different paths to choose from after graduation and will be able to tackle any challenge thrown my way because of the courses I’ve taken and the mindset exemplified here at MSOE.”