Student Spotlight - Haley Cole
Name: Hayley Cole
Hometown: Naples, Fla.
Year: Senior
Major: Civil Engineering
After living in south Florida for most of her life, Hayley wanted to attend a college in the South where she could enjoy season changes. She had chosen to attend another university until she attended a football game with her sister and immediately fell in love with Auburn. Before leaving that weekend, she had made up her mind to become an Auburn student. "Everything about Auburn is perfect to me," she says. "The traditions, campus, people, seasons, town and Auburn's academic excellence all convinced me to attend."
Hayley was drawn to civil engineering because of its broad career possibilities. She wasn't sure at first which specialty to choose, but the civil engineering curriculum required her to take a course in each specialty. She was grateful for this requirement. "Not only does this requirement help students decide which area they would like to specialize in," says Hayley. "It also prepares them for the fundamentals of engineering exam."
To Hayley, Auburn Engineering is the definition of excellence. She appreciates the opportunities that engineering students have to co-op, which helps them take their classroom learning to another level. "During my co-op semesters with Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC, I was able to apply basic engineering principles to real-world situations," says Hayley. "When I returned to school after learning about the construction process from a project manager and assistant project manager's standpoint, I excelled in my transportation and construction engineering classes thanks to my co-op."
Hayley highly recommends the co-op program to fellow students. "With nearly 90% of all co-ops being engineering students, the College of Engineering stresses the importance of work experience to a college education," she says.
Hayley's favorite memory at Auburn has been the snowfall in February of 2009. She had hoped for snow every winter after spending most of her life in Florida. When she saw the snow, she immediately called her friends and spent the whole day outside on campus taking photos with Aubie and each other while making snowmen and enjoying the family atmosphere that Auburn University prides itself in creating for students.
