Sean Frederick, Valedictorian (Kevin Kadooka -- The Beacon)
By Sarah Hansell, Staff Writer -- hansell14@up.edu
From the moment he sits down and starts talking, you can tell senior Sean Frederick is not the type to brag or boast. It is difficult to even make him list his many accomplishments, the latest being named class valedictorian.
"I don't usually seek attention at all," Frederick said.
Frederick has a 4.0 GPA and is not just double majoring, but receiving two degrees, in mechanical engineering and Spanish studies.
"He is a renaissance man," Spanish professor Kathleen Regan, who is currently abroad in Spain, said in an email interview.
To receive two separate degrees, rather than double majoring, Frederick had to take all the classes to satisfy each school's requirements, and is graduating with 212 credits in five years.
"I did that because I actually enjoyed Spanish and I enjoyed learning things that aren't technical," Frederick said. "Everything about engineering is technical and it's cool to go read about Asian philosophy."
Frederick is also a vice wing commander in Air Force ROTC, in the Honors Program, studied abroad twice, a member of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi, is a grader for the mechanical engineering department and plays intramural soccer.
"It just takes a lot of time more than anything," Frederick said. "I wanted to do the best I could do and to see how far I could go."
Last semester, Frederick wrote a guide for engineers who want to learn how to speak basic Spanish, and his professor encouraged to him to publish it.
"As far as I know, this is one of the first guides of its kind," Regan said.
As for Frederick's future, he was awarded a Fulbright research grant, so next year he will be studying the engineering application of lasers at the University of Liverpool.
At some point after that, he will serve five years at the Air Force Research Laboratory. He hopes to serve as a technological ambassador for a foreign government.
His ultimate plan is to become a professor at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. If he does this, the Air Force will pay for him to get his doctorate.
"I'm ready to move on and see what's next," Frederick said. "But UP is a great place. It's been my home for years."
Regan said she is impressed by Frederick's abilities and has faith in his future.
"I have no doubt that he will go on and be an important leader in this global world environment," Regan said.
On May 8 at 2 p.m. Frederick will give the commencement speech in the Chiles Center. Although he said he is not one for giving speeches, he has some advice for current students that he has clearly taken to heart.
"Always pushing your limits is the only way you're going to find out who you really are," Frederick said. "And that's in everything, not just academic."
