Welcome to Nick Szakelyhidi's AE Senior Thesis e-Portfolio
Biographical Sketch of Nick Szakelyhidi
Nick was born in a small town north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called Harmony. He grew up with two older brothers and a younger sister, and therefore knows how to deal with a team. A strong family and firm moral values were important in his upbringing. He was a very active child, playing soccer, tennis and baseball. In high school he joined the track and field team. Throughout his elementary and high school education, Nick participated in the district's gifted program. This involved several out-of-class experiences with projects and competitions in many fields. He performed well on his high school senior project, and graduated with honors.
College was no different. Nick knew what he wanted to do with his life long before gaining early acceptance to the prestigious Architectural Engineering program at The Pennsylvania State University. Nick felt that his strong math and spatial reasoning skills, along with his artistic and creative abilities made AE an ideal career path.
Nick has been continuously employed since the age of 16, not including time away at college. He started out as a dishwasher, automotive detailer, and a fast food cook. Those jobs taught him a great deal about teamwork and client interaction. In the summer of 2004 he interned with Structural Design Group, LTD., a structural consultant in Gaithersburg, MD. This experience reaffirmed what he already knew he wanted to do with is life, and helped him fully realize his love of the profession. The following summer of 2005, he interned with a construction management firm, Truland Systems, in Reston, VA. This gave him an important breadth of knowledge of the design-build relationship that is so important in the industry. He is thoroughly excited about the future challenges that lay ahead of him with his next employer.
Nick plans to graduate in May of 2006 with a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering in the Structural Option. He is currently seeking employment in the Pennsylvania, Maryland or Virginia areas.