Student Awards – Spring 2021

I chose to attend Boise State University because of the strong support I received from faculty and current students when I reached out while deciding where to go to college. I saw this amazing trait of providing encouragement and aid to every student in the faculty and students of the Mechanical Engineering Department all through my college experience.

During my freshman year, I joined the Engineering and Innovation Residential College where I got to meet many of my friends that would stay with me and support me all through college. After my first year, I stayed in the program as the Community Assistant for the next two years. In the spring of my freshman year, I worked as a research assistant through the Higher Education Research Council (HERC) Fellowship in the Computational Biosciences Laboratory at Boise State. That following summer I also became employed in the Ceramic Microelectrical Mechanical Systems (C-MEMS) lab and stayed for the next three years. I have also had internships in the Robot Control Lab at Boise State as well as in the Dynamic Adaptive Robotic Technologies at Georgia Tech. During this time, I also helped reestablish the Mechanical Engineering Club at Boise State and served as the president during my sophomore year. In this position I was able to lead my team in the Human Powered Vehicle Competition hosted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers where we placed seventh out of twenty teams from around the nation. Last summer, I also got to participate in Boise State’s Hometown Challenge where I designed and installed no-hands door handles around my hometown in order to help prevent the spread of Covid 19.

After graduation, I will be taking a gap year and applying to graduate schools to pursue a doctorate in electrical engineering. I would like to thank all my professors and my graduating class for this amazing award and recognition.

When I was two, my family and I immigrated from Mexico to Burley, Idaho. I graduated high school and came to Boise State University in the Fall of 2011 as a pre-med bio major. I realized biology was not the right fit for me, so I switched to Material Science and eventually Mechanical Engineering. While it has taken me almost a decade to graduate, going part-time has allowed me to accumulate the years of experience that most entry-level jobs require.

One of the most impactful jobs I have had was operating CNC machines at Rekluse Motorsports. Not only did it teach me about production and manufacturing engineering, it gave me insight to what engineers actually do. Following Rekluse, I interned and worked for Versabuilt Robotics designing anything from CNC door openers to workholdings for robotically tended machined parts. Even with these experiences, my favorite job has been here at Boise State. Working for the Engineering Innovation Studio has taught me not only how to use various machines and fabrication tools, but it has shown me that I really like making things.

I have been so fortunate to meet and work with so many great people and to find a great community within the College of Engineering. I want to thank all the people who considered me for this award and all my friends and family for their love and support. Specifically, Griff Allen and Sarah Haight, who have always kept me going with their awesome support.

My academic career began in the fall of 2016 at 26 years old. During my first year attending Boise State University, I joined the Men’s Soccer Club and shortly thereafter became the Vice President of the club. It was a privilege to sweat, cry, and bleed with each member of the team. Although it was a great experience, I decided that I wanted to get more involved with the College of Engineering. The first opportunity that came about was a Lab Assistant position for the Introduction to Engineering course instructed by Katy D’Amico, the department manager of the MBE office. Looking back, this position was a crucial stepping stone on my path. After three semesters of being a Lab Assistant, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Mahmood Mamivand as a Peer Educator for Mechanics of Materials. Both of these positions allowed me to connect and help fellow students achieve mastery of the course materials. I finished my university employment by grading for an introduction design course taught by Chris Davis, a research support engineer here at the University.If it wasn’t for the relationships that I created in these positions, I would not have been as successful in my career here at Boise State University.

Simultaneous with obtaining the mentioned positions within the College of Engineering, I resigned from the Men’s Soccer Club and joined the ME Club and the Aerospace Club as an active member, and NASA’s Micro-G NExT Undergraduate Research Team here at Boise State as a Technical Co-Lead. Each club has great qualities and amazing people in them. This has been my second year being the Technical Lead for the Micro-G team, which has been one of the most challenging positions for me here at Boise State, but it is also one of the most rewarding. As everyone knows, NASA attracts the most driven, dedicated, and innovative people. Being a part of such a dynamo group has helped me grow and develop as a student, leader, and person. Creating such an impactful network through these positions gave me an edge when applying for the Consumer Product Development Specialist position at the New Product Development Lab under TechHelp. Micro-G has been one of the greatest things, but working at the NPD lab is definitely the feather in my cap. The NPD lab has given me real-world engineering skills in design work, CAD, rapid prototyping, and project management, while working with manufacturers and clients alike.

During my final year, I was elected as my team captain for our senior design project. We participated in the Solar District Cup challenge hosted by NREL. After a year of hard work we presented our project to NREL as well as judges from the Renewable Energy Industry. Our team performed admirably and placed 2nd in our division. I am extremely proud of the members of the team, and couldn’t ask for a better team to lead.

As a student, member, athlete, and employee of Boise State, I have forged connections that propelled my character development. I have navigated college with an open mind and attentive attitude—seeking out opportunities and immersing myself in the culture of academia. During the past two years, I worked as an Undergraduate Researcher and Engineering Dynamics tutor, while simultaneously upholding leadership and involvement in club associations. As Vice President of the Club Tennis team, Secretary of the Tau Beta Pi Honor Society, a member of the Society of Women in Engineering, and the Aerospace Engineering Club, I have had ample experience working in collaborative environments. The culmination of my academic and extra-curricular experiences have provoked growth and influenced my future motivations. After graduation, I will complete my Accelerated Master’s degree at Boise State University in Mechanical Engineering working under Dr. Gunes Uzer in the Mechanical Adaptations Laboratory. Moving into my professional career and proceeding year of graduate study, I advance with the intention of engineering applications that aid health and sustainability.