Hi all! My
name is Claire Malaby, and I’m a senior in Computer Engineering. I am a Teaching Assistant for the
Freshman Engineering Orientation Class (I love helping the ‘little ones’ find
their way) and am the current President of Engineers’ Club.
This summer
I worked an internship in Goleta, California, which is right next to Santa
Barbara, and adventured around the area as much as I could. I fell in love with
the ocean, the mountains, and Trader Joe’s- but not necessarily in that order!
The picture below is from a trip to Monterey and the Big Sur area; there was an
easy hike down to the most beautiful waterfall I’ve ever seen right off Highway
1. In the same area was the Henry Miller Memorial Library, that held a
wonderful little book store with free coffee and a truly excellent cat, who is
also pictured below. My time in California was unforgettable, and if I could,
I’d spend 1000 words just talking about my time there. I think I did, and quite
a few times over, telling all my stories once I got back! Other places I
traveled: Solvang, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara proper… And to the
pool. Often. Right as I arrived, the Refugio Beach oil spill occurred, and the
Pacific Ocean isn’t that warm to start with, so, the heated pool in the
apartment complex it was!
Photo taken by me near McWay Falls, July 2015
Theo, the resident cat at the Henry Miller Library. Photo by me, July 2015
Apart from
that, well, I grew up in Oklahoma, did everything artsy in high school that I
could, including dance, theatre, and orchestra, before doing a complete 180 and
working towards a degree in engineering. I’ve found such a home and family in
engineering that I can’t imagine doing anything else. I love participating at recruiting events for
the College because it’s an opportunity to tell prospective students about my
story, how I got to engineering, and how that even if college seems terrifying,
if it feels like there’s no way that the homesickness won’t be terrible, if it
seems like this just isn’t going to work- that it will. That’s part of why I
love TAing for the freshmen—most of them make the college transition no
problem, but if I can help a few out along the way who are having a rougher
time, I’ll know I’ve done my job.
That’s
about as much passionate talking as I can muster for one evening, so I’ll leave
with several sentences and a picture that finish out the story I’ve started.
All photos are mine, clockwise from top left: My brother and I playing guitars at family Christmas, the best picture of me that has ever been taken, my SO and I at the El Segundo Museum of Art, and one of my proudest moments, walking across Abbey Road barefoot. Created with befunky.com's collage maker.
I am an
avid coffee drinker, lover of Pixar, and supporter of the color green.
One of my
favorite hobbies is slowly converting all of my friends into NPR listeners.
My first
part in a play was in fifth grade, and I played Elfis, who is the Christmas-Elf
version of Elvis.
I studied
abroad in Oxford in 2013.
Once, I
gave myself turf toe (a football injury, mind you) whilst playing in the ocean.
I cannot
whistle.
My name is Claire Malaby- and I hope you enjoyed reading this.
