Carter Bates

In a world of ever moving parts and machines of titanic scale there has to be one to tame these beasts of steel and iron, and mechanical engineers keep these monsters running and therefore our world running, and senior Carter Bates will be joining their ranks while studying at the University of Dayton. 

When asked why he decided to take on such an intricate field, he answered confidently, “I have always loved making things and finding out how things work. One of my favorite things to do was to sit down for hours and build Legos. Innovative design was a great experience for me.” Well, if you have the brain for such complex mathematics, and advanced machinery, then no-one can stop you from achieving it. 

When asked about how he feels about graduation, Carter answered bluntly, “I am very excited to start college.” When one is headed into such a sought after field, that is in more than high demand in the market today, you really can’t blame him for wanting to get the ball rolling on this one. 

Through all the highs and lows of high school, we all have our favorite memories of our time here, with it being on the field during a football game, or marching in sequence with your bandmates,  leading the school spirit with the cheerleaders, it could be on scenic golf course, a roaring gymnasium, an icy arena, or in the ever “family-friendly” dugouts. But when Carter was pressed for an answer he couldn’t provide one, no moment for him stuck out above others, which in all fairness, speaks volumes about his high school experience. 

They may be your bane or saving grace, but no matter what you may think of them there is always one staff member that stands out above the rest. For Bates it was a rather easy answer, “I think the person that helped me the most was Mrs. Duncan; she is a great teacher and also really wants you to succeed and genuinely cares about you.” With the field that Carter is going into it is great to hear him say that his favorite teacher is his mathematics teacher. 

 After four years of in the same rooms, the same hallways, and the same events, we seniors have learned a thing or two about high school. Some of that parting wisdom that Carter leaves with the upcoming classes is as follows: “I think I would say to be your own person and not care about what people think about you. Also, have fun.” I can honestly say that is some of the healthiest advice that I heard be given. 

Most of us can’t say with any certainty where we are going to be in ten years, but that's the fun of it, we get to imagine where we might be. For Carter, he hopes what I imagine most of us hope for: “ I see myself at a good job, maybe at my own company and just doing what I love and starting a family.” If Carter is to start his own family then there is no doubt it will lead the mechanical engineering field with a healthy margin. 

For his parting words to the school, don’t worry it’s family-friendly, he said, “thank you for the great memories and life experiences.”