Pictured: ExEd Scholarship recipient Mike Wozniak
As the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap continues, Purdue’s goals haven’t changed, but its way of educating students has evolved.
One evolved form of education is a teaching method centered around authentic experiences that strengthen students’ knowledge, skills and abilities through hands-on opportunities. These opportunities can range anywhere from co-ops and internships to student teaching and undergraduate research, but they’re all considered forms of experiential education (ExEd).
These hands-on experiences allow students to understand what they’re learning in the classroom further by experiencing and reflecting on the industry they plan to go into. 90% of programs report Purdue faculty or staff actively engaging with students throughout the entire experience. However, these programs sometimes have barriers to accessibility, like required travel or relocation.
“Experiential education often comes with direct and indirect costs that can serve as a barrier for students. Purdue is committed to enhancing access to these programs so that all our students can benefit from these transformative experiences. That’s why, as part of the university’s Transformative Education 2.0 initiative, we started the Experiential Education Scholarship program.” – Jennifer Dobbs-Oates, Director of the Office of Experiential Education
In order for these opportunities to be more widely available and equitable, the Office of Experiential Education gives $100,000 to support students through scholarships of up to $2,000 each academic year. The ExEd Scholarship is available to students participating in any Purdue-affiliated experiential education programs.
This scholarship program is designed to increase student access to transformative experiences by reducing financial barriers to participation. Since 2022, the Office of Experiential Education has awarded 124 scholarships to students in eight different colleges, mostly to seniors and professional students, for all kinds of ExEd opportunities.
One recipient of the scholarship, Mike Wozniak, feels the fate of his education relied heavily on the unique opportunities he found through Purdue's connections with industry leaders..
When Wozniak transferred to Purdue going into his sophomore year, he faced incredible adversity. After finishing his first semester in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Wozniak worried he would be unable to meet the demands that his major and Purdue required of him.
That all changed when he began a co-op with Rolls-Royce in August 2021. This experiential education opportunity took him further than he ever thought it could.
Learning and working alongside industry professionals from Rolls-Royce allowed Wozniak to develop both personally and professionally in ways he had only ever dreamed of.
With the ability to work on real-life projects and immerse himself in the aeronautics industry, Wozniak began to see things from a new perspective.
“This experience taught me how to truly think like an engineer, and this one co-op rotation fundamentally altered the course of my career path for the better.”
Wozniak’s time with Rolls-Royce was enough to inspire him to push harder back at Purdue, as he noted significant improvement in his academic success once returning from the co-op. This success and growth allowed him to put more time into hands-on groups including Purdue Orbital, Purdue Experimental Turbine Aerothermal Laboratory (PETAL) and more.
“By the end of the semester, I took away invaluable experiences in PETAL and Purdue Orbital, and I finished my spring semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA”
Wozniak’s success continues long past his first experiential learning opportunity. He has since gained admission into graduate school for the Master of Science in Aeronautics and Astronautics program and received numerous job offers from notable aerospace companies.
“I have more opportunities than I could have dreamt of during my first year at Purdue,” says Wozniak. “I truly could not have done it without experiential education, and I’m honored to have received their scholarship.”
John Waterworth
Student Communication Assistant, Student Success Programs, jwaterwo@purdue.edu