Scholar Stories: Kilinski Finds Niche in Smallest-Sized Program in School of Engineering
5/15/2024 2:40:00 PM | Baseball, Features
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By David Woelkers Jr.
Sitting down to discuss his four-year journey at the University of Michigan, senior infielder Trevor Kilinski could not help but chuckle to himself as he fielded a question he has faced countless times; what in the world was he studying?
Unlike more recognizable fields of engineering, Kilinski's field of naval architecture and marine engineering is not one that is found as a staple of any program -- just 15 other students graduated with Kilinski this past April, and only around 100 students, from undergrad to doctoral study, comprise the smallest program in the School of Engineering. To Kilinski, the niche nature of his field is a badge of honor.
"So, it's basically a mix of studying mechanical engineering and fluid dynamics," Kilinski said. "The program is great. It's pretty small, we have 16 people in our graduating class overall. I want to say there's probably anywhere from 70 to 100 people total including grad students. I didn't even know it existed until I got here. Growing up near Lake Michigan, I've always loved boating and being on the water. We were fortunate enough to have one when I was a kid. So I just kind of put those two things together and I was like, that sounds great. I'll give it a shot. And then the department was awesome. I really enjoyed my time in the program."
Though Kilinski is adamant naval engineering was the path for him, his road to graduation like many college students was not always a smooth one. After easily balancing his sport and his studies in high school, Kilinski expected more of the same coming to Ann Arbor.
The reality of the college grind shook that expectation off its foundation from almost the first day of classes.
"It was a lot different than high school," Kilinski said. "You get to college and it's a completely different beast. If you're not on top of it, you're going to fall behind really quick. So it was a learning curve there, and I honestly didn't do really great in some of the freshmen intro engineering classes.
"I honestly did consider switching out of engineering at a point, but I stuck with it. And I'm glad I did because as you go on, it gets easier. The content builds upon itself, so once you get the hang of the basics and get into the classes that are more specific to naval architecture it becomes a smoother ride. But yeah, I think the learning curve was instead of just relying on knowing when and what the next test would be about, you have to actually bear down and do the work."
At his lowest point, Kilinski sought advice from those he looked up to as mentors. In a twist of irony, the counsel he received reaffirmed his desire to continue in engineering -- but in a way he never expected.
"There's a funny story there actually," Kilinski said. "When I was a freshman, I asked a friend if they had any advice for me. I was really struggling with engineering and baseball, the balance was really tough. Baseball wanted all my time, engineering wanted all my time, and I felt like I was struggling in one or the other. And in response, that friend was basically like, 'Don't be a hero. Go do an easy major, do something that's not as demanding and just like, you know, really focus on baseball.' And I heard that and it honestly caused me to do the opposite -- double down on engineering, try and grit it out.
"And I'm really glad that I did, because now that I've graduated and I have that degree, I think it's really gratifying and feels really good that I know I have a good degree under my belt.
"So, the advice I would give is the exact opposite of the advice I got; try to do a really hard and difficult major that people say, 'Oh, you're going to, you're going to be miserable.' And you might be, you might be miserable for a little bit, but if you work hard and put the time in, you can definitely do both and I think you'll be glad in the end if you do."
What helped Kilinski, he claims, was the tutelage of two particular professors in his program.
"There were two professors, Matthew Collette for 270 and David Singer for 370, that were absolute studs," Kilinski said. "So 270 is like your intro to naval architecture class. You learn Archimedes' principle, like the very basics, and Collette made it so fun, he made it where it just clicked for me so fast, and it really helped me stick with engineering. And then 370 is the next step up from that. That's when you start designing ships and all that, and David Singer, just makes the class super fun, upbeat energy, you know, interacting with him is awesome. And I think those two semesters, sophomore year for 270 and then junior year for 370, those two classes were awesome."
Having graduated from the program, Kilinski looks forward to pursuing a career in the field he has grown to love. While his journey once again faces an unclear path, Kilinski now has a more enjoyable problem -- choosing a career specialty -- than the ones he navigated entering college.
"So I'm a little bit torn," Kilinski said. "I'm waiting to hear back on a naval architect job at Boston Whaler, which is like a fishing boat company -- your standard center console, pleasure craft type of design work. So that's what I'm hoping to do in the immediate future. But I was definitely considering working for the Navy, like doing some defense contracting stuff, and it was hard to decide. I think to start out, I wanted to do this personal craft side, because you get to see that instant feedback. And then down the line, hopefully I do maybe a little bit of both.
"My ultimate goal is to have my own design firm where people come to me and they're like, 'I want a 40-foot boat that does this, this and this,' and I design it for them and can, you know, hopefully make that dream come true for them."
