Student Spotlight

Meet Crystal Chantry, a chemical engineering student from Bedford, Indiana. Crystal’s plan was always to come to BYU, encouraged by her parents and the opportunity to socialize with people who share her standards and values. When it comes to chemical engineering, she’s been sold on her major since her junior year of high school after taking a dual-credit chemistry class.

“Combining my love of chemistry with my love of math and problem-solving, chemical engineering was the natural answer, and then luckily I came to college and still loved it,” Crystal says.

At BYU, she happily found friends with values similar to hers, as she’d hoped, and also found her husband! They met in her freshman YSA ward and got married earlier in her college experience than she expected. Crystal and Nathan love to play board games and attend BYU sporting events.

“We bleed blue,” she says. “We love just cheering on our team.”

Beyond BYU sports, the campus scenery and landscape have been a gift to Crystal as she works hard for her degree. She enjoys taking walks by the duck pond after exams to decompress.

“I love just sending pictures to my family of the mountains with the Engineering Building in the foreground, and I’m like, this is where I go to school,” Crystal says. “It’s just the most beautiful place.”

Her favorite class so far is Chemical Process Principles (CH EN 273) with Dr. Thomas Knotts. It provided her a good foundation of knowledge to build on in classes further into the program. Crystal also loves student wellness classes, currently taking a bowling class.

Outside of class, Crystal serves on the BYU Chapter of The American Institute of Chemical Engineers council and at the BYU Engineering Safety and Ethics Conference. She has been a TA and now works at the Design Institute for Physical Properties (DIPPR) lab, doing research for a database of chemical and physical properties of chemicals.

On top of that, Crystal enjoys being the Women in Chemical Engineering representative for the Women’s Initiatives Grant with the Weidman Center, focusing on the women in her major and finding community in shared struggles.

“Having that cross-generational experience where it's like, okay, you can succeed as a chemical engineer. If you can do it, so can I,” Crystal says. “It's just good to have a space to talk about that.”Crystal found belonging and inclusion in the college as she searched for those kinds of opportunities. It all comes down to her mom’s advice.

“It's like throwing mud against the wall and seeing what sticks,” Crystal remembers. “As scary as it sounds, the best thing you can do is put yourself out there.”

Crystal’s advice is to find the balance of getting involved in the activities that are right for you but also making time for yourself and your education. The ability to say no has been important to her as she progresses through college.

“Make your choice, and don't regret,” Crystal said. “It's not a race. Life is truly not a race. We're all going to get there, and helping one another and being supportive has been invaluable for me.”

She expresses deep gratitude for the caring professors and community in BYU Engineering. We are grateful for Crystal, and we appreciate the example of hard work, friendship, and leadership that she adds to our college!