Major: Engineering
Soka Suliman first became interested in engineering after watching a TED Talk during his high school composition class.
“It was on Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos company, which supposedly created a revolutionary blood-testing machine that could produce results with just a pinprick of the finger,” he said. “When I first heard of that idea, my initial thought was how impossible it was. But as everyone knows, nothing in this world is impossible. After that class, I started researching every day how this goal could be achieved and it all pointed me toward engineering—more specifically, bioengineering.”
One reason Suliman enrolled at College of DuPage was the cost benefit. He received the STEM Student Success Scholarship, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, which paid for two years at COD, as well as the H.J. Kleemann Engineering Scholarship through the COD Foundation.
STEM Student Success Scholarship
“These took the pressure off my family financially,” he said. “The STEM scholarship program also awarded me the chance to meet my fellow STEM scholars, an opportunity that was very valuable due to the virtual learning setting because of COVID-19.”Suliman also joined classmates Maxwell Harris and Giovanni Zavalza and faculty sponsor Professor Jim Bradley in chartering the first Math Club at COD. The club had two main focuses: outreach and competition. Outreach included holding fundraisers and promoting the club to their peers, including selling pies on “Pi Day” when students could “pie” club members with shaving cream. Math Club students also participated in the national AMATYC (American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges) competition with great success.
In addition, Suliman was part of the Engineering and Technology Club’s Robotics Team that finished strongly at the NASA Lunabotics competition.
“ETC was a club that I enjoyed because it was my first real experience working on a big project such as a robot and collaborating with my peers,” he said. “It was very special because it was the first time we were able to meet on campus and compete at a national competition in a long time due to COVID-19.”
COD’s extensive resources—such as the many scholarships offered, clubs and amazing student life, and faculty who care about student growth—made it a great place for students to pursue and achieve their goals.
Soka Suliman
During the summer before he transferred, Suliman completed an internship at Fermilab, a spot he earned by applying through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Community College Internships program.
“This summer internship experience helped me gain valuable insight into how research and projects are conducted in professional settings such as a national laboratory. It exposed me to new fields in academia that I didn’t know much about, which pushed me out of my comfort zone but also allowed me to learn and further expand my knowledge in these topics and apply them to my research. I have a strong feeling these new topics will apply to the rest of my academic journey and even my career in the future.”
While bioengineering still fascinates him, Suliman realized it was not the right fit and is now pursuing mechanical engineering, which draws on his enjoyment of math and physics. He is working toward a bachelor’s degree at Northern Illinois University and researching various career options.
For students considering COD, Suliman encourages them to explore programs they find interesting, schedule a campus visit, and speak with students and faculty about their experiences. After enrolling, students should apply for as many scholarships as possible to help with finances, get involved in clubs and organizations, and make school their number one priority. He added that study habits they build at COD will help them excel when transferring to a four-year institution.
“COD offered the same first two years of undergraduate courses for engineering at a significantly reduced price, while also keeping the same academic rigor that most community colleges aren’t able to keep,” he said. “COD’s extensive resources—such as the many scholarships offered, clubs and amazing student life, and faculty who care about student growth—made it a great place for students to pursue and achieve their goals.
“I would like to thank all three of my engineering professors, Dr. Scott Banjavcic,
Dr. Alyssa Pasquale and Dr. David Smith, for always looking for improvements to the
Engineering program and curriculum to ensure students get the best experience at COD;
my math professor Caroline Soo, who challenged and motivated me to become a better
student every class period; and my S-STEM Student Success Coach Susan Fenwick for
her continuous support and guidance through my academic journey at COD.”
Learn more about the Engineering program at College of DuPage