Featured Graduates of Fall 2018

Almost as far back as he can remember, Nicholas Akkerman was drawn to mathematics and liked discovering how things are designed and built, especially homes.

Ian Cervantes decided to stay relatively close to home to study human systems engineering, a branch of engineering that focuses on people and their behavior.

Growing up, Sylvia Faszczewski had an affinity for math and hands-on projects. These skill sets drew her to the field of engineering.

After six years away from school to serve his country, Derrick Gilbert knew he wanted to pursue a degree in electrical engineering.

After 25 years in the financial services industry, George “Jeff” Heinzelman decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree and broaden his professional acumen.

Thu Hoang knew from a young age that she wanted to be an engineer, even though what an engineer actually did wasn’t exactly clear to her.

Early on, Raveena John learned that people with lowest carbon footprints live in cities, where populations are the densest. Since then, she has been fascinated by the urban environment and its effect on people and nature.

Julia Liu always knew she would pursue engineering, as math and science were her best subjects in school. She chose computer science as her major because it also included “some element of creativity.”

Eric Mannix’s desire to help others has been clear throughout his time at Arizona State University. From selecting his major to his extracurricular activities, Mannix’s proclivity for leadership and problem-solving led him to not only excel in mechanical engineering, but to support others along the way.

Richard Mortensen is proud to be accomplishing his goal of earning a degree in engineering, but returning to college and managing his time with a family of four children was challenging.

Ioana Raluca Mihalcescu was initially drawn to engineering because of her father, who is a petroleum engineer. She also appreciated the field’s diversity and its potential to directly impact communities.

If Luke Oldham had one superpower, it’d be the ability to touch any book and absorb all the...

Philip Sitterle says the most rewarding experiences of his undergraduate education “have also been some of the most challenging.”

Michaela Starkey has spent a significant portion of her undergraduate experience striving to make a difference in the lives of people inside and outside classroom.

Philip Thomas has always enjoyed solving problems and engineering allows him to have a hands-on problem-solving experience.

For Daniel Travis, the opportunity to give back to the community is one he cherishes.

Janice Wallace has long been a fan of video games. That gaming background helped her realize software engineering was what she was meant to do.

As a little girl, Zoë Wright’s father would take her to the airport café for breakfast before church. And that’s when she began to fall in love with airplanes and aviation.

A spur-of-the-moment decision to apply for a study-abroad opportunity — only a week before the deadline — led Kathryn White to spend a semester in Brighton, England. And there, she says, “I found my love and passion.”