By Nick Gagliardi

Some of the best advice Artur Ulatowski has ever been given came from his technical-education teacher in high school. “He told me that I should definitely pursue something analytical, due to my skillset and approach,” Art recalled. “He said that I was going to make a great engineer someday.”

Art took the advice and hasn’t looked back since. Now a third-semester Electrical Engineering student at UConn, Art plans to pursue a career in robotics and systems design.

A native of Poland, Art immigrated to the United States only five years ago. “The adaptation process was a long, and somewhat painful endeavor. The biggest challenge was language. I had a lot of basic knowledge, but my speaking abilities were poor so sometimes I could not convey my message properly,” said Art. “Luckily, due to the people I met, I had no problem fitting in.”

Art attended Windsor Locks High School for three years, and chose UConn to continue his education. “It had always been my number one choice,” he said. “I knew the School of Engineering had a good reputation, and my teachers recommended it as well.”

Art comes from an engineering background. “When I was growing up, my dad was always in the garage working on something. From a young age I knew I wanted to do something hands-on,” he said. His brother is now an electrical engineer as well.

Next summer, Art plans to engage in a robotics internship overseas, at one of the many automotive manufacturing companies. Hands-on engineering remains his favorite part of the program, and he loves the lab portions of his classes. In his time outside of the classroom, Art enjoys video games, soccer, and bike riding.

“If I have any advice for prospective engineering students, I would definitely tell them not to slack off, and to pay attention in their classes,” he said. “Just put the work in if you want to succeed.”