BYU engineering 2026 graduates share memories of communal growth

Lydia Hall
Chemical Engineering

• Favorite memory: Bonding with classmates in the stepdown lounge as they study and write out problems and diagrams late into the night, meeting her best friend in CH EN 273.
• Best part of chemical engineering: Using an understanding of equations and how things work to solve problems and “puzzles.”
• Influential person: Her dad, who always listens and reminds her that she’s capable when she’s stressed or panicking.
• What’s next: Attending the University of Texas in Austin for a PhD in chemical engineering, continuing semiconductor nano-material research based off of her Micron internship experience.
• Words of wisdom: School is demanding, but if you care about it, you can do it. “Give yourself some grace because it can get exhausting just pushing so hard.”

Benson Edwards
Manufacturing Engineering

• Extracurricular experiences: Camping and fishing to explore nature nearby, playing guitar, working on sensors and switches for aircraft in an internship with Honeywell, working in the Crabtree shops and foundry, doing as many hands-on projects to be able to manufacture the end result.
• Something he’ll miss: Being surrounded by like-minded people in a religious community, having mentors like Clint Bybee, a lab supervisor, who supported student workers well and is “one of the kindest guys ever.”
• Greatest triumph: Realizing his learning could be applied successfully in a real world setting or internship, and letting that take him into his full-time career path after graduation.
• What’s next: Moving to Tucson, Arizona, with his wife mid-summer to work with Raytheon and start a new chapter of their life.
• Words of wisdom: Put yourself in new or difficult experiences to build your resume and access opportunities that you’ve dreamed of, just as Benson is achieving his dream to work in aerospace or military engineering. “Just have fun. Don't be scared to get your hands dirty.”

Ellie Howard
Construction & Facilities Management

• Extracurricular experiences: Being a TA and hanging out in Snell B66, creating community as CMSA president, receiving Student of the Year award for her major, winning second place at the ASC case study competition as team captain, scuba diving with class trips in the Dominican Republic, playing piano, watching movies with friends, being forklift certified.
• Best part of construction management: Being a part of a major that feels like a family, calling faculty and professors “Brother,” developing well-rounded skills in business and project management, playing basketball on Friday mornings with the major.
• Influential person: Dr. Justin Weidman, who pushes her to be better and is full of integrity, like a father away from home.
• What’s next: Going to Europe on a trip with some friends, then moving to Las Vegas and working closer to home for McCarthy Building Companies as a project engineer to begin a career in commercial construction.
• Words of wisdom: Take opportunities, then keep going. “If you just try your best every single day, then you'll look back and see, wow, God has been helping me all along.”

Ovidio Gomez Avila
Chemical Engineering

• Favorite memory: Connecting with his professors through their testimonies, being followers of Christ together, enjoying the general environment of campus with his friends.
• Greatest triumph: Finishing his degree after getting baptized in Guatemala, following his education from BYU Pathways to BYU Provo, and graduating while his grandma that he misses dearly watches him from heaven.
• Personal growth: Learned both professionally and spiritually, developed pride in his education at BYU and more humility about his life.
• What’s next: Continuing his research on campus, following what opportunities his education and testimony lead him to. “Opportunities will come. The Book of Mormon opened a lot of opportunities to me, and BYU opened even more doors.”
• Words of wisdom: Enjoy your time at BYU. “Students, they are much smarter than they think, and they shouldn’t be fearful to start this journey.”

Tami Grimes
Technology & Engineering Studies

• Extracurricular experiences: Technology and Engineering Education Collegiate Association (TEECA), BYU GEO, TES major club presidency, research with Dr. Scott Martholomew, getting outdoors for camping and sports with family, BYU rugby team.
• Favorite memory: Showing off BYU’s student skills at the ITEEA conference, staying up late with friends tinkering in the shops, rapping at the TES talent show.
• Looking back to freshman year: It was a rollercoaster to get to her major after changing directions, tearing her MCL in rugby, and moving home to take a break, but finding TES and being a part of the uplifting environment was where she needed to be.
• What’s next: Visiting her parents’ mission in Portugal, going to Ecuador with BYU GEO, becoming a high-school teacher. “Hopefully, I'll be able to enter to learn, go forward to serve all my students and make them have a little better lives, because it's hard to be a teenager.”
• Words of wisdom: Don’t be scared to look for the people and the places that you love. “Right now, I'm at a middle school, have sawdust on all my Jordans and middle schoolers chirping in my ears, but I couldn't be happier.”

James Wade
Mechanical Engineering

• Favorite memory: Taking a weekend trip to Solitude with engineering friends to ski and celebrate a birthday, getting stuck there for a bit eating pizza and chatting because of an avalanche, proposing to his wife a week later.
• Best part of mechanical engineering: Being a well-rounded engineer, solving large intellectual challenges, using creative liberty to bring ideas for inventing to life, having a community of like-minded classmates and professors.
• Extracurricular experiences: Research with Dr. Nathan Usevitch on a soft robotic truss robot for 3 years, research with Dr. James Usevitch on safe control robotics, competing in a NASA competition in Las Vegas with the BYU Compliant Mechanisms and Robotics (CMR) lab, internships with Lawrence Livermore National Labs and Sandia National Labs, going on hikes with his wife and getting sweet treats after.
• Next steps: Pursuing a master’s on the road to getting a PhD in robotics, planning to come back to teach at BYU after being inspired by the deep care of Dr. Nathan Usevitch and Dr. Marc Killpack.
• Words of wisdom: Explore your interests, make friends, and involve Heavenly Father in your studies. “Any engineering major is hard, but in my opinion, it's been absolutely worth it. Always put in the work needed.”

Madi Pollei
Civil Engineering

• Extracurricular experiences: BYU Baking Club, using three years of leadership in Women in Civil Engineering to connect the small community of women in the major with professionals in industry, Management Consulting Club to help people find internships, conservation research for Utah Lake, drone research, work with the Department of Homeland Security and low head dams, a study group water polo team.
• Something she’ll miss: Going to BYU sporting events and enjoying the social environment, taking her iPad to football games to keep up with homework.
• Greatest triumph: Getting her research published in her junior year after working with the government on it for a few years.
• What’s next: Moving to Texas to work for a consulting company, considering getting an MBA, eventually starting a family with her husband, her biggest supporter and study buddy in engineering.
• Words of wisdom: Focus on the journey of college instead of grades. “Being willing to dive into a college experience. I think your biggest obstacle is going to be not being willing to try things.”

Lars Nelson
Chemical Engineering

• Best part of chemical engineering: Applying math to solve problems, learning fundamentals of how the world works, making explicit connections to the gospel while learning.
• Favorite memory: Studying with his cohort and TAs in the ChemE labs for hours.
• Extracurricular experiences: Three years of research with Dr. Doug Tree to create simulations of polymerization reactions and their effect on polymer shapes, an intramural soccer team, running, playing sports with his friends and ward, reading, practicing classical and improv piano, listening to music.
• What’s next: Pursuing a PhD, considering studying at the University of Wisconsin or Carnegie Mellon.
• Words of wisdom: Balance your time with homework and letting yourself do what you enjoy, and connect with others. “You're going to struggle, and everybody is struggling, and so don't feel like that means that you're not fit to do engineering.”

Emma Bowden
Mechanical Engineering

• Extracurricular experiences: Biomedical engineering research with Dr. David Fullwood and BacPac on a nano-composite strain gauge project and being first author on the publication, BYU LIFE club, working on robotic prosthetics with the CMR lab.
• Favorite memory: Playing laser tag with her roommates and FHE group freshman year to take a break from school work.
• Best part of mechanical engineering: Learning about how the world works in the ME TA lab space with friends, participating in exciting work with mechatronics and robots, enjoying soup nights with women in major.
• What’s next: Studying biomedical engineering in graduate school at the University of Utah, eventually working with gait biomechanical technologies in rehabilitation clinics.
• Words of wisdom: Let the people who want your success help you by asking for help. “You can be presented with a problem that seems totally impossible and come to a solution to it. It'll take some time, it'll take hard work, it'll take using resources, but there's a solution to the problems that we're faced with.”

Macen Bird
Cybersecurity

• Extracurricular experiences: Playing hacking and cybersecurity competitions in the Crabtree for 24-48 hours on end with midnight food runs, Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) team, watching TV shows and climbing with his wife, playing volleyball, being a TA.
• Greatest triumph: Winning the National Cyber League Capture the Flag (CTF) after playing it every year on the BYU team, making the US Cyber Team.
• Influential person: Justin Applegate, a graduating cybersecurity master’s student who he learned a lot from as they played CTFs together.
• What’s next: Studying vulnerability research in a master’s in cybersecurity at BYU to start a more research and development focused cybersecurity career.
• Words of wisdom: Learn a programming language well, and get involved. “Do something, and then just fully dive into it. Stick with it for a couple months.”

Makayla Hicks
Manufacturing Engineering

• Best part of manufacturing engineering: Aligning her interests and the way she thinks with an academic career, finding purpose.
• Favorite memory: Getting close with three other women and Prof. Aubrey Houck in her packing technology class, enjoying that corroboration and friendship within her academic interests.
• Greatest triumph: Having confidence in her skillset and potential in a career as a professional engineer with the encouragement of Dr. Yuri Hovansky and knowledge application she experiences in research and internships.
• What’s next: Analyzing smart manufacturing in packing technologies for a manufacturing master’s at BYU.
• Words of wisdom: Despite what imposter syndrome might tell you, you belong here. “Take advantage of growing in diverse ways because you'll be able to discover more about yourself.”

Ammon Bullinger
Mechanical Engineering

• Favorite memory: Camping out for the BYU vs. Gonzaga basketball game in 2020 with his sister and brother-in-law, watching the historic BYU win and upset.
• Extracurricular experiences: Working with Dr. Jeff Hill in the Research and Development Mentorship program to study tensegrity and mechanics in bars or strings, contributing to his capstone and making a medical simulator to help doctors in low-income countries train for surgeries, working as a janitor, playing basketball or video games.
• Influential person: Drs. Christopher Dillon and Steven Charles, who taught him the balances of work with family and faith and spiritually uplifted students.
• What’s next: Combining his long-time interests in the medical field and engineering by continuing to work on product development with Becton Dickinson in Salt Lake City, coming back to BYU for a master’s, starting a family.
• Words of wisdom: Take opportunities that come up, being willing to try different things. “Understand the importance of having goals, but also understand the path to get to those goals often ends up being a lot different than what we think.”