CLARKSTON, Ga.—Kaylee Cornelius loves to golf, write poetry, compete on a robotics team — and knit. If all those activities don’t keep her busy enough, the 17-year-old dual enrollment student at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College already is working toward the career she wants to pursue.
“I want to become an electrical engineer,” she said.
Kaylee is now a step closer to that goal. The Lakeside High School senior was accepted to the Columbia Engineering Experience Oct. 7-9 at Columbia University in New York City. The engineering experience is a selective, three-day program designed for high school seniors interested in an engineering education, particularly from backgrounds underrepresented in engineering and applied science.
“I was so excited when I found out I was accepted,” she said.
The program pays for transportation and food and lodging. Kaylee will stay with a Columbia engineering student while in New York.
A lover of poetry and writing, Kaylee once thought she wanted to be a teacher. That changed after working as a summer intern at the Georgia Tech Research Institute. During her internship, she discovered she loved working on circuit boards and the field of electrical engineering inspired her, she said.
“They taught me how to solder and hard-wire. It was really fun,” she said.
Kaylee explored electrical engineering programs and found out about the Columbia Engineering Experience.
A 4.0 student, Kaylee is taking Calculus II and Computer Science courses at Perimeter, as well as Advanced Placement courses in environmental science, statistics and economics at her high school. Her interest in engineering is shared with her twin sister, Jayla, who also is enrolled in the dual enrollment program at Perimeter.
“Only she’s interested in becoming a civil engineer,” Kaylee said.
Find out more about dual enrollment at Perimeter College.
Top photo: Kaylee Cornelius, right, shares her interest in engineering with her twin sister, Jayla, left, who also is enrolled in the dual enrollment program at Perimeter.