Freshman Student Spotlight: Marcus Warner

Marcus Warner is a freshman from Geneva, Ill., majoring in civil and environmental engineering. He has been involved in IEFX and Engineers Without Borders.

How is your freshman year experience at Illinois going so far?

“Everything is going well. The campus is huge, but you get to know it really fast. I thought I wouldn’t necessarily enjoy the large campus that much, I really have. Even in a big class, you get a group of friends and it feels like a small class. I’ve seen both my brother and sister go off to school before, so I knew what to expect.”

What are you involved in outside the classroom?

"Engineering Without Borders. I’ve gone to the meetings and I’m pretty interested in that. I hope to get more involved with it. I’ve also contacted some professors in civil engineering for research opportunities because I have enough time in my schedule and I’m ahead enough that I’ll be able to take some time out of my semesters to do some research."

What kind of research are you interested in?

“The cool thing about engineering, especially civil engineering because it’s the top ranked civil program in the United States, is that there’s lot’s of cool research here. There’s some research on trains, which is really interesting to me because I used to live in Japan and their train system is amazing. I wish American had one too. Also, another professor is doing research with hydrology and how to manage water systems to combat droughts and flooding. This research has real world applications and it’s really cool."

When did you live in Japan?

“My dad works for Caterpillar so I actually lived there twice: once when I was just an infant to when I was four or five and another time when I was in fifth grade through eighth grade. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It was the best experience. It’s nice to be back in America, but there are lots of things I miss about it. I definitely want to visit there because I haven’t been back since. There’s a lot of friends I haven’t seen in a long time.” 

What drew you to Illinois for college?

"It really had nothing to do with living in state — actually I prefer to be farther away from home. I wanted a school that was really solid in engineering and all-around. I also didn’t want to go to a school that was super small. I wanted to have a large campus feel and those were probably the biggest draws."

Do you know what you would like to do after graduation?

“I’m not really sure yet. I’m not even sure if I will get a job with an engineering company. The biggest thing I’ve heard from my dad and everyone who’s gone into engineering is that it just teaches you a way to think and supplies you with enough knowledge that you can do anything. It broadens your opportunities once you graduate. I probably want to do something like my sister does with nonprofits or not for profits. Right after college I’m interested in Peace Corps, so I might do that first.”

Best piece of advice you received when you were coming to college?

“My dad has always had this advice, it sounds stupid, but he told me it as a kid: ‘work first play second.’ It applies totally to the rest of my life and specifically college. There’s always something fun I could be doing, but if I do my work first and then have fun, I don’t feel guilty at all and I’m a better student for it.”

How was your experience in IEFX Summer Scholars?

“It was really fun. This past year, there were only so many kids on one floor at ISR (Illinois Street Residence Hall), where we stayed. So you got to know everyone in the program, not only because you were in classes with them, but you were all living in the same hall. You had RAs (resident advisors), but the RAs were also teaching assistants in some of the IEFX classes so you also got to know them really well. Halfway through the summer I had a really good feel for the campus and what to expect in my years to come here. It gets you really comfortable with campus and it sort of eases you into the college lifestyle. It got me back into the grind of things and by the time the fall came around I was ready to go.”

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Writer: Chad Thornburg

If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Mike Koon, editor, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-1256.