Student Spotlight

Macey Orth, a senior majoring in manufacturing engineering, never originally wanted to attend BYU. Being from South Jordan, Utah, she had her hopes set for another university in Utah but decided to apply to BYU anyway. When Macey received her acceptance letter, it felt like a sign from God that she was meant to go to school here.

Macey served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Charlotte, North Carolina. The most useful skill that she learned on her mission was not being afraid to talk to anyone. She had a variety of companions on her mission, so she learned how to work well with people from all walks of life.

Since she was a child, Macey has enjoyed hands-on activities. She loves to build things, seeing and understanding how they work. Her passion for innovation drove her to look for a design-oriented major. After trying a handful of different ones, she decided on manufacturing engineering. Her dad also attended BYU and studied manufacturing engineering, which helped Macey feel confident in her choice.

Macey is a Teaching Assistant (TA) for Intro to Manufacturing and Plastics. She enjoys how teaching requires her to go through course material again because it helps her better understand subjects in her major. Macey loves seeing students' passion for manufacturing grow as they learn new, fun concepts.

Macey is co-president of the BYU chapter of Women in Manufacturing Engineering. She loves planning and attending fun activities that bring the women in the program together. Since there are not many women in the major, Macey has felt this club helps her feel loved and welcomed in a male-dominated field. Macey also participated in the Global Engineering Outreach program, where she helped design a wheelchair cushion and hand-deliver it to a clinic in Ecuador!

Outside of her studies, Macey loves to spend time outdoors. She is an avid rock climber, climbing at the Quarry in the winter and Rock Canyon in the summer. She also loves running; Macey has run one marathon and is training for another.

Macey feels included in the College of Engineering through the friendliness of others. In her experience, everyone has been very kind and genuine. Others are actually interested in you and the projects you are working on, Macey says.

She advises her fellow students, especially those just starting out, to become friends with the people in their classes. Macey developed a tight-knit group of friends that she has gone through the program with. “You are always in major classes with the same people so it’s much more fun if you’re friends,” Macey said. In addition, Macey recommends getting involved with interdisciplinary projects, outside of one’s direct major, because this is what students will be doing in industry.

We are grateful for the advice that Macey shared and that she is a member of our student body!