Chasing Challenges

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy declared, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”  

It’s a sentiment that Carrie Carpenter has carried with her through her education at the University of North Dakota. She is no stranger to hard work. In fact, she even enjoys it. 

When Carrie came to UND to pursue mechanical engineering, she had no idea of the opportunities that awaited her. As part of the Engineers Without Borders organization during her freshman and sophomore years, Carrie was able to help build a water distribution and purification system for those without access to clean water in Guatemala. 

“That’s something I’ve really appreciated from these groups; it gives us an opportunity to take what we’re learning in class and actually apply it,” she said.

“It’s rare. You don’t always get to do that because we’re students, but we get to use what we’re learning in our classes to help people. That’s been my favorite part.” 

Over the next few years, Carrie continued to take the hands-on experiences she gained from her classes and apply that knowledge to more opportunities through her involvement in other campus organizations and various internships around the country. 

Her first internship led her to Summit, SD, where she was a field engineer with Mortenson Construction, and helped build a wind farm. “I really love wind turbines, and especially sustainable energy,” Carrie said. “I think it’s a field that has a lot of growth that could be made.” 

The following summer brought her to Textron Specialized Vehicles in Augusta, G.A., where she delved into design-focused tasks, fabrication work and physical testing. This past summer, she rejoined the Mortenson Construction team in their Eagle Mountain, U.T., location as a member of their mechanical team.  

“That’s the great part about internships. I feel like having three different experiences I got to see a lot of different industries,” Carrie said. “By the end of it, I recognized a company culture that I really liked, and I was able to apply for a job.”

After graduation, Carrie will join Mortenson Construction full-time in their wind division. “I always encourage people to seek out internships,” she said. “It’s a good way to see if it’s something you would enjoy doing.” 

Alongside her internships, Carrie has also been involved in the robotics club on campus. For her senior project, Carrie is part of a national competition with NASA where she has been tasked with building a lunar robot capable of collecting lunar soil samples. 

Looking back, Carrie is glad she came to UND for mechanical engineering. “I can’t imagine myself being anywhere else,” she said. “The coursework is heavy but that’s something that we know as we’re entering in as engineers, it will be difficult. But it’s been some of my favorite years of my life.” 

She credits the community at UND for helping her get this far, emphasizing the support she’s received from friends, faculty members and coaches. “I’ve been able to meet so many amazing people and I’ve been able to have some amazing opportunities and it just wouldn’t have been possible without UND.” 

Carrie’s time at UND has ignited a genuine desire to make a lasting impact in the lives of others. “As engineers we have a responsibility to do things well because our decisions do affect other people,” she said. “I just want to leave things better than I found them.”