Elijah Schwinghammer

WORK HISTORY

ABOUT ELIJAH SCHWINGHAMMER

A themed deck of cards, a pair of laptop stickers, and a worn-out hat all sit on my shelves branded with various viewpoints of Zion National Park, my favorite place on earth.You may be wondering,\"Why a canyon in the middle of the desert?\"- which makes complete sense. The answer lies in more than just the canyon itself, but rather the abundance of hiking trails found there.While the views from the canyon are quite incredible, there is something about the climb to get there that makes them all the more rewarding for me. One of my favorite trails is called Observation Point, where after a grueling 4-mile nearly straight uphill climb, a path of trees finally gives way to an awe-inspiring view of the entire canyon. There is also a way to get to this spot by car, having only a 1-mile, flat path to the viewpoint. Both trails produce the same view, but doesn\'t the demanding hike sound more rewarding?I live for that challenge. I live for those I-finally-reached-the-top-of-the-mountain-lets-sit-and-take-it-all-in moments. In both my recreational and professional endeavors, I look for opportunities that will push me to and beyond my perceived limits and help forge a better version of myself.With this approach, failure is bound to happen, and it does, but finding the power to push through that failure is what separates me from the pack. I was denied by my dream school, the University of Notre Dame, upon their first read-over of my application. This drove me to work as hard as I could at Northeastern, taking advantage of every opportunity and maximizing my time there. I finished my first year with a 3.86 GPA, an abundance of friends and organizations that I loved, and an acceptance letter from the University of Notre Dame.I don\'t look at the mountain and say,\"that\'s too hard, I\'ll take the drive to the easier route, or maybe I\'ll just find another trail.\" I put my head down, start climbing, and don\'t stop until I find a way to make it to the top.