Dutch Holland (2019)
Mechanical Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
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Courtesy of St. Johns River State College. Dutch Holland.
Submitted by St. Johns River State College
Special to the Palatka Daily News
SJR State honors one of its own in an alumni salute, celebrating the career milestones, community contributions and personal reflections of those who began their collegiate journey as SJR State Vikings.
“As a student at SJR State, the most valuable thing I learned is that every day is an opportunity to learn more," Holland stated.
DUTCH, WHERE DID YOU CONTINUE YOUR EDUCATION AFTER EARNING YOUR A.A. DEGREE?
I transferred to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). I graduated in Fall 2022 with my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. I am now working on a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at ERAU. I am a graduate teaching assistant at ERAU teaching manufacturing laboratory. I am currently the president for the Robotics Association at Embry-Riddle. I work part-time for RoboNation as a mechatronics engineer as a product developer.
WHAT ARE YOU THE MOST PROUD OF?
I am most proud of acting as one of the team leads for a Maritime RobotX Team at ERAU. I was a team lead from 2020 to 2022, but I have been a part of the team since 2019. The name of our boat is Minion, it is a 16-foot Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel (WAM-V).
My first year I worked on hardware and electrical systems. Acting as a team lead on the project I co-lead the team to the 2022 Maritime RobotX Challenge in Sydney, Australia. This challenge is for Autonomous Surface vessels. 19 other teams joined us from around the world in the competition. My team took first place over all in the competition. All our hard work makes ERAU the best at Autonomous Robotics in the world.
https://robotx.org/2022-splash/ (Learn more about the challenge.)
https://robonation.org/programs/robotx/ (Learn more about RobotX.)
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE THIS CAREER FIELD?
I am inspired to understand the world we live in. I want to know how and why things work the way they do. I also aspire to make the world a better and easier place to live in. I have a passion to create new things and to bring new ideas to life. I chose mechanical engineering because it is a Jack of all trades, a master of none, but often times better than a master of one ---- absolute Johannes Factotum
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SJR STATE TO BEGIN YOUR EDUCATION?
SJR State was local to home and affordable to get my career started. They have small class sizes giving more one on one time with professors. They offer the higher-level math classes needed for engineering.
HOW DID SJR STATE BEST PREPARE YOU FOR NEXT STEP?
Since SJR State offers small class sizes, I was able to better understand the higher-level math classes which are the foundation to my bachelor’s degree.
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE MOMENTS AT SJR STATE?
While At SJR State I enjoyed attending volleyball games, being President of the Rotary club, and the county wide clean up. My favorite memory is helping with the diaper drive while giving back to the community.
WHAT WAS THE MOST VALUABLE THING YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF AS A STUDENT?
As a student the most valuable thing I learned is that every day is an opportunity to learn more.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE CONSIDERING THIS PROFESSION?
To anyone looking to do something in life ---Don’t shoot your shot, Engineer it.
Don’t be afraid to try. Mistakes are how you learn and if you break something you can get a new one.
Choose a school that has lots of projects outside of class available to you in the field you would like to study. Join those teams and dedicate yourself to them. You will learn the absolute most about that field practicing it every day instead of only going to class. This will also help you learn what things you do and do not like to do to help point you in the right direction. This will set you apart from other candidates for a job in the future.
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS?
I would love to move to West Virginia. Having a job working on sea or subsea system. I would like to start and own an RV park.