Posted by Lieutenant Commander Viveca Arlander (Counselor) in Office: CNS - Cadet Swishman Pays A Visit…

Posted by Cadet J. C. Swishman (Engineer) in Office: CNS - Cadet Swishman Pays A Visit…

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Viveca Arlander (Counselor) in Office: CNS - Cadet Swishman Pays A Visit…

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“Engineering certainly has drawn a few people in over the years. My father tried to impart his talent on me, but I was more of a medical person,” Viveca replied, “Have you found a specific field in engineering that particularly grabs you yet or are you still exploring options?” Some cadets were still exploring various fields of specialty, so she was always curious to see where their heads were at.

~Viveca Arlander~

“I’d say,” J.C. replied after a moment, his mind actually milling the question without a second thought, “for a while I was leaning towards practical propulsion on smaller scales… Lifter engines, hover devices, things like that. Then pre-Academy when my dad set me up with helping the Corps of Engineers, it was theoretical studies… Still around propulsion, so thinking about faster-than-warp, more instantaneous travel methods, things like that.”

“Once I joined the Academy, I felt like I wanted to branch out a little, so I took some electives around photonics, systems engineering… But I guess I’ve been keeping my focus on the propulsion field.” He shrugged with a faint smile. “Guess my Mom’s love of the stars kinda influenced that too… Always wanted to go to as many stars I saw in the sky as I could. Best way to do that was go as fast as possible.”

Cadet J.C. Swishman, Engineer

“Indeed, so tell me about a time where you felt challenged and how you overcame that,” Viveca spoke, switching the tone slightly, she did like to see how cadets approached challenges as a career in Starfleet definitely came with them.

~Viveca Arlander~

“Well,” he started, pausing briefly before continuing. “Every engineering problem is its own challenge. Just like every day in life. Some days are more challenging than others. But you have to move on, march on… No matter how much you might not want to.” J.C. looked distant for a split-second, then refocused and looked sheepish.

“Sorry… That was pretty general, wasn’t it.” He smiled faintly, then thought a moment. “If you’re looking for a specific, I suppose it was when I first started learning with the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. My dad called in some favors to allow me to observe and work with the Corps while I was still in high school, as basically an Academy prep situation. It was hard to make an impact as young as I was… Hard to get folks to listen to my ideas. But I just kept moving forward, making sure to refine my techniques, anticipate questions, document everything… I guess I buried them in info so much they couldn’t ignore me?” A soft chuckle. “Not a creative solution, but it worked at the time.”

Cadet J.C. Swishman, Engineer