Student Spotlight

Hailing from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Quinn Steffensen found herself at BYU knowing one thing: she wanted to teach. Though she was interested in other topics, engineering being one of them, she has always had the desire to teach. Quinn started as a special education major, but she didn’t feel like it was the right fit for her. After looking into different options, she discovered Technology and Engineering Studies. The major piqued her interest as it allowed her to pursue the two areas that she had found herself drawn to.

Technology and Engineering Studies, also known as TES, covers a wide range of topics including basic engineering principles, woodshop, furniture design, robotics and electronics, digital media, graphic design, photography and videography, and computer programming. Students in this major take classes in all the different areas and then choose an emphasis in which to take a deeper dive. They also choose one of two paths to follow within the major, teaching or technical. Quinn chose to focus on teaching with digital media as her technical emphasis. “I feel like TES is one of BYU’s best kept secrets,” Quinn said. “I’m really passionate about these topics and this is the perfect place for me.”

When she joined the major in 2019, Quinn was one of only a couple of women in the major. Over the next couple of years, she’s enjoyed watching more women join. As STEM fields are still male dominated, even as early as middle school, Quinn is excited to inspire girls to explore the option of engineering and technology in the schools where she teaches. “Representation always matters,” Quinn stated. “I want girls who take CTE classes to see themselves in the field and hopefully they will see a future for themselves there.”

Quinn is currently student teaching at Herriman and Mountain Ridge high schools and Lake Mountain Middle School. She has really enjoyed teaching the basics of Adobe Illustrator to the students in their digital media classes. “What really sets Quinn apart is her desire to share her skills and knowledge with others as a teacher,” Geoff Wright, one of Quinn’s professors and head of the TES department said. “She is a rare student who blends personal growth with the ability and passion to help others experience the joy of learning.”

When Quinn isn’t teaching or working on her own schoolwork, she enjoys going downtown, finding places to eat, hiking trails around the area, running, or watching TV. In particular, she loves Two Jacks Pizza and watching House of the Dragon.

One of her favorite recent adventures was participating in the “Build and Ride a Bike” study abroad program. Students traveled to the UK and attended a bike building academy where they learned how to draft and build a bike. They braised, painted, and assembled their bikes and then went on a tour through England, Scotland, and Ireland. Quinn loved the experience of building her own bike and uses it to this day.

Something that is important to Quinn is making sure that those in her major feel like they belong. She previously served in the presidency for the TEECA (Technology and Engineering Collegiate Association) club. Even though she is no longer in the presidency due to her busy schedule, she still reaches out to those in her major and makes a special effort to get to know the people in her group projects or those she has class with.

One thing that Quinn would advise all students to do is to create good relationships with their professors. The connections and respect that she has cultivated with her professors has opened doors for her and she would encourage those within the College of Engineering to do the same.

We are so grateful to have Quinn as part of our student body.