Student snapshot

Garret Freeman

Hometown: Rocky Mount, North Carolina
Class: Senior
Major: Engineering
Career goals: To become an engineering manager or executive manager

Garret Freeman never gave up on college — though he admits he had his opportunities. But after working everywhere from Krispy Kreme to a radio station, he came to ECU with a passion to become an engineer.

“The ECU engineering program, I feel like it’s one of those things where it gave me an opportunity,” he said. “Sometimes you’re a person who just wants a chance.”

Freeman has made the most of that chance, earning multiple scholarships and serving as president of two student organizations. Since his high school graduation in 2012, he had considered everything from biology to IT until an advisor at Pitt Community College noticed his high math scores and suggested ECU engineering.

“I had never thought in the beginning that engineering was where I would end up,” Freeman said. “It was kind of like a roller coaster.”

For his senior capstone project, Freeman is teaming with fellow senior engineering students to help the city of Greenville with a new hoist system for its New Year’s Eve Emerald Drop celebration.

“Being able to see your hard work pay off, and then especially with something like this, being able to see other people enjoy it, that’s amazing,” he said.

Freeman said the ECU engineering community of faculty, staff and students make the program special.

“It’s invaluable how great this engineering program is,” he said. “It’s a hidden gem, and the bigger light we can shine on it, that’s what it’s all about, just letting people know we’re here and we have a lot of great talent and smart people that are in this program.”