John Shields III fell in love with the MSOE the first time he stepped foot on campus for a visit. The small class sizes, location of campus and being less than two hours away from his home of Rockford, Illinois made it a clear decision that MSOE was the place to be.

Shields started off as a mechanical engineering major but switched during his sophomore year to industrial engineering, as he was fascinated by technology, process and improvement.

While at MSOE, he has been involved in a variety of groups and activities around campus. He attends meetings and volunteers at events for Residence Hall Association (RHA), Student Union Board (SUB) and Campus Life. Shields also serves as the vice president of Raider3D, MSOE’s 3D printing club, and is the treasurer of MSOE Amateur Radio club.

Another area of campus Shields is fortunate to be a part of is the Cove Student Scholars. This group of students works in the Cove in Viets Tower educating and engaging with students in the space which serves as a place for collaboration and innovation among MSOE students, faculty and staff.

“It’s truly an honor to be able to work alongside a group of students so passionate about this space and the possibilities that it brings—I’m so glad I can be a part of it,” said Shields.

The group explores opportunities to get students engaged through programming and educating them on the equipment located within the Ladish Entrepreneurial Space and Nelson Prototyping Lab, inside of the Cove. The equipment serves as a resource for students for class projects as well as personal use.

“All of our duties are directly reflected and guided by the MSOE Mindset, which we work to emulate through working in the space.”

Outside of his numerous campus activities and academics, Shields enjoys preforming and listening to music, playing video games and wood and metal working.

“It’s an honor to work with all of the fantastic students on this campus, both in and out of the classroom. I will miss it a lot after I graduate.”