Student Spotlight

Kayla Lyman, a master’s student from Minnesota, was not originally planning on majoring in engineering. In high school, Kayla took a class about electricity and magnetism and fell in love with it. This new found interest made her want to study physics. As she was applying to school, BYU gave her the best scholarships and opportunities so she decided it was the place for her. However, once she started in the physics program, she quickly realized that it wasn’t the right place for her. She began to search for other majors and found the Electrical Enginering major. Although she didn’t really know what it was, she decided to pursue it! Now, a few years later, she loves it so much that she decided to get a master’s degree in the field.

When asked what her plans were for after graduation, Kayla discussed the possibility of getting her PhD and becoming a professor. At many colleges, there are very few women professors in engineering fields. Kayla wants to be a role model to younger female engineering students and prove that you can make it through your degree as a woman in STEM. Kayla continues to help younger female students as an active member of women initiatives in ECE. Recently, she helped develop the Women in ECE club to better support the women engineers. Her advice for younger female engineering students would be to make friends; you can't do it alone! Kayla expressed her love and appreciation for all of her friends, both male and female alike, that have helped her through the program. Kayla is also a Women in Spectrum Scholar and would suggest that all women apply for it! In addition to that, Kayla would suggest getting involved in research. Kayla got involved in research through the IMMERSE program which is a great opportunity for students to be a part of undergraduate research. She worked on antenna systems and in the radio astronomy group. Research has helped Kayla feel that she belongs in the college of engineering because it helped her make connections, learn new skills, and gain confidence in herself and her abilities.

Kayla is also involved in so many activities outside of engineering. She absolutely loves to dance and has taken a ballet class every semester she's been at BYU. She was even on the BYU Folk Dance Team for two years. When asked what her favorite class at BYU was, she responded with Indian dance. In her words, “You cannot be sad when you’re doing Indian dance.” Kayla also loves spending time in the new music building as she recently started playing the harp. In her free time, she enjoys reading and playing board games. As you can see, Kayla has a lot of time for fun things while pursuing a degree in engineering. She wants all engineering students to know that is a “complete lie” that you can’t have a social life as an engineering student. Her advice would be to get enough sleep, learn to say “no” to things that are less important to you, and try to let go of the idea of perfectionism. She says, “You should have so much fun! College is not just about the degree, but the experience too.”

Her last few words of advice would be to go on a study abroad! Kayla participated in a study abroad at the London Center. Even though it was not related to engineering, it was a great way to get her generals done and was an amazing experience.

We are so thankful to have Kayla Lyman as a student in the College of Engineering and appreciate all she does for BYU.