Hendrickson plans to go into the bioengineering field. First, however, she wants to get an EMT basic training certificate and work in ambulances after graduation this spring. Photo: Wayne Armstrong
Bestselling author Karen Salmansohn said, “Be so busy loving your life that you have no time for hate, regret, or fear.” This is the motto by which University of Denver senior Laura Hendrickson lives her life.
Hendrickson, who hails from the small town of Los Gatos, Calif., says she fell in love with the University as soon as she walked onto campus. “It’s what I always imagined a real university would look like,” Hendrickson says. “I honestly can’t imagine a better fit for myself.”
A mechanical engineering major with a double minor in mathematics and medical physics, Hendrickson plans to go into the bioengineering field. First, however, she wants to get an EMT basic training certificate and work in ambulances after graduation this spring. After that, she will head to Europe to pursue a master’s degree.
Hendrickson is putting her skills to use as a tutor for the engineering department. Corinne Lengsfeld, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, says Hendrickson also is a talented networker.
“One of her most outstanding features has been her active role in developing and maintaining the female engineering community within the department,” Lengsfeld says.
Around campus, Hendrickson is a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. She belongs to the University of Denver Alpha Lambda Delta honor society chapter and to Mortar Board, a national honor society. She also spent the summer before her junior year in a Semester at Sea program, an experience she says “formed me and my views on the world.”
Hendrickson is a self-described “quote fanatic” and has filled a document, now spanning 30 pages, with quotes that have inspired her. Perhaps she says it best, though, reflecting, “Life is a series of experiences. And even if they may not have been the best, they shaped you, and you learned from them.”