A Day in the Life of a College Student- New Beginnings

It’s the beginning of a new year which means the beginning of a new semester, and the homework is already starting to pile up. My schedule allows me to get most of my work done on Wednesdays and Fridays. I started taking Packaging Science 103 this semester, which will help me create a professional ePortfolio. The ePortfolio is required for my Packaging Science 422/220 course, as well as for graduation. This class seems like it will provide me with important technological skills that I can use in my other classes. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I start the day bright and early with an 8:00 am organic chemistry class. My racquetball class right after organic ,interestingly enough, helps ease my mind while simultaneously keeping me focused for the rest of the day. Packaging Science 204/206 class and lab have just begun, as well. It will be interesting to see what I’ll learn each week.

Autobiography

My Life so Far

My name is Patrick Clark Mittelstadt and I was born twenty-one years ago on August 15, 1987. I was born in Mount Pleasant, SC and have lived there most of my life. When I was in elementary school, my dad’s job transferred our family to the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois for a year. We were fortunate to move back to historic Mount Pleasant, SC soon after. In 1995, my dad was transferred once again to Rome, Italy for eight months. The rest of the family spent the summer with him in Italy. We have lived in Mount Pleasant, SC since then where I attended elementary, middle, and high school. At Wando High School I was in band and student government each year and represented the senior class as its president.

I am one of two children. My older sister, Meg, is currently getting her PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of South Carolina. My father is a Chemical Engineer at the British Petroleum Cooper River Plant. My mother is a licensed veterinary technician at a clinic in downtown Charleston, SC. I am currently studying Packaging Science after changing my major last semester from Civil Engineering at Clemson University.

My strong interest in engineering, bridge design, and AutoCAD steered me to Clemson University. I switched majors to Packaging Science with an engineering emphasis at the end of my sophomore year after learning about the great opportunities the major has to offer. Packaging Science enables me to keep up with AutoCAD work as well as engineering principles. Packaging Science also allows me to combine my knowledge of science and technology, design, marketing and business principles.

I am an athletic, well-rounded individual. One of my many passions is music, whether it is listening to music or playing it. I played trombone for eight years and marching baritone for four years. I currently play electric guitar and acoustic guitar. Sports are a favorite pastime of mine. I have played basketball since I was very young. Living on the coast for the majority of my life has allowed me to indulge in the one sport that I am completely enthralled with: surfing. I have been surfing for eleven years. Whenever there is a swell I am out in the water in a wetsuit if its winter or board shorts in the summer. To keep in shape at Clemson, I skateboard across campus. I like to bomb and carve down hills on my skateboards just for that adrenaline rush of the wind blowing in my face and the danger of going extremely fast just inches above the pavement. I also love to wakeboard and wakeskate. At Clemson University I am a member of the wakeboarding club. I can always be found somewhere near water. When the waves aren’t pumping I am usually out in the boat fishing or just hanging out with friends and family on the beach.

When not mired down in school work or engaged in my favorite sports or music, I like to participate in community service. Habitat for Humanity and Crisis Ministries soup kitchen are two very deserving projects that I like to be involved with. Education, service, and fun have been the main ingredients of my life so far.