The following is an email interview between the Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) and Nuha Kamal Akhtar (NKA), a 2025 Top Ten Scholar honoree from the College of Engineering (COEN).
CEP: “What does it mean to you to receive the Top Ten Scholar honor?”
NKA: “I feel really honored that my COEN faculty, and even the Top Ten Scholar committee at the university level, felt my work and contributions to campus were representative of what a Top Ten Scholar embodies. I kind of see it as a nice way to validate and celebrate all the hard work I’ve done over my four years at Boise State.”
CEP: “Talk about your time at Boise State. What clubs, sports or other involvements are you part of?”
NKA: “During my freshman year, I worked in the Boise Applied Biomechanics of Infants Lab as an undergraduate research assistant, was the first cohort of Astronomers in Training Assisting the Community team member under the NASA Science Activation Program in the physics department, and participated (later becoming team lead) of (Boise State’s) NASA Micro-g NExT team. Currently I am working in the Ceramic Micro-electrical Mechanical Systems Lab and the Thermal Transport and Solar Energy Lab. I am also the senior student machine shop supervisor at the Engineering Innovation Studio, which I have to say has been my most favorite job!
“Outside of my three jobs, I am president of Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society (member), and co-chair of the Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Student Advisory Board. Thanks to all my on-campus work and involvement, I was able to participate in Caltech and MIT Lincoln Labs summer research programs. Outside of engineering, I played alto saxophone for (Boise State’s) top, audition-only, Symphonic Winds Ensemble and am currently in the MANTA Saxophone Quartet, (Boise State’s) first established saxophone quartet. I had the amazing opportunity to perform with MANTA at Treefort last year, and this year I was lucky enough to also play with Maci Mattravers and Ethel Rose, both local artists/bands at Treefort.”
CEP: “What has been your favorite part about attending Boise State? What should high school students know about Boise State if they’re interested in attending?”
NKA: “I like to think I spent my time at Boise State accomplishing lots of side quests. I came in with the mentality that I would try out any opportunities available to me if it meant I could come out of that experience with new technical or soft skills, connections with people from diverse backgrounds, or get me one step closer to my career goals after college. I have found that Boise State welcomes students to try different opportunities and fields, even if it may not seem relevant to your major at the surface level. It is only with this flexibility I was able to be heavily involved in the engineering, physics, and music departments. And although the campus feels big, the community is well connected and you find yourself running into a lot of the same people in different social and school settings.
“On top of that, something I found unique to Boise State, is that the student body of Boise State has a large number of non-traditional students who come from a variety of backgrounds. Being able to make new friends, work with different types of people, and listen to others talk about their life experiences have really enriched my education far beyond the technical knowledge I learned in my classes. It gave me a larger scope of what the world has to offer outside of college. It’s where I learned that with the right mindset and dedication, pursuing higher education is meant for everyone, regardless of their background. I found that to be really valuable and I recommend everyone to push past their normal social circles and comfort zones to reach out and make new connections.”
CEP: “Talk about the concurrent enrollment classes you took in high school. How did those credits help you get a head start on your college career?”
NKA: “Although most of my credits came from AP classes, the concurrent enrollment classes I did take earlier in high school helped take care of some of my math and foundations classes. I came in with a lot of credits, and that gave me a lot more flexibility in deciding what classes I wanted to take and getting a jumpstart on my major-specific classes. Creating that space allowed me to do a physics minor without setting my graduation back, get a head start on my mechanical engineering degree, and give me time in my schedule to participate in undergraduate research and other clubs as a freshman without getting bogged down by gen ed classes.”
CEP: “What are your current plans for after completing your undergraduate degree?”
NKA: “After I graduate, I will be continuing my education at UC Berkeley in the Mechanical Engineering Ph.D Program!”
Read more about Nuha Kamal Akhtar on the Boise State Alumni Website.