Emotional Engineering

During his time at Dordt, Nicholas learned invaluable skills that prepared him to enter the field of engineering and grew in many areas, especially in his spiritual life.

“Moving out of the Christian community that I had grown up in prepared me for the transition to living fully on my own without parents, classmates, or friends living near enough to hold me accountable for my faith,” he says. “In addition, my coursework challenged me to develop my Christian worldview and apply it to contemporary issues.”

Nicholas is especially grateful for Dordt’s small class sizes and invited faculty members, which helped him grow spiritually, socially, technically, and professionally.

“I developed many personal relationships with faculty members in and out of the engineering department,” he says. “The faculty genuinely want to see you succeed and reach your highest potential. They are quick to go the extra mile and challenge you academically and spiritually.”

Dordt’s engineering program gave Nicholas an excellent framework for solving engineering challenges, which he uses today as he helps develop technical programs. But beyond the technical engineering skills, Nicholas learned how to serve his neighbor, build relationships with co-workers, and be an example of a Christian engineer.

“I had some uncertainties when I entered the full-time workforce for the first time but my education combined with various internship experiences made it a smooth transition,” he shares. “My engineering coursework gave me a great foundation from which to handle design problems. Studying engineering at Dordt gave me a curiosity to solve problems while also equipping me with the tools to solve those problems. In addition, a Christian, liberal arts education broadened my perspective, helping me understand there is more than just the technical, the problem put before me; there is also the emotional and the people around me. Without an understanding of both, it is difficult to lead by Christian example in the workplace.”