YAC should build an alumni-sourced internship pipeline: a curated email to ME and NRE students each semester, timed ahead of recruiting, drawn from the roles Council members hear about at their own companies. It costs each member minutes and gives students a real edge. 










 

I would like the Council to give students more direct access to alumni and industry through mentorship, interview practice, and honest conversations about careers. I would also love to see fun, build competitions and behind-the-scenes industry visits that get students involved beyond the classroom. These initiatives should help students build relationships, practice skills they’ll use at work, and leave the Woodruff School feeling confident about what comes next.






 

To strengthen connections between students, young alumni, and professionals by expanding mentoring, networking, and career development opportunities. This could include alumni mentoring programs, career panels, networking events, and initiatives that connect students with professionals across a variety of industries, including medical physics. As a graduate of Georgia Tech's distance-learning program, I would also like to explore ways to create stronger engagement and support for remote students and alumni, so they feel more connected to the Georgia Tech community. Another area I am passionate about is STEM outreach and introducing younger students to career opportunities. I would love to see the Council support career days at elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as a "Day in the Life of a Medical Physicist" experience for high school students.

I would like the Council to strengthen the bridge among students, alumni, faculty, and industry, particularly around emerging areas where mechanical engineering is rapidly evolving. One idea is an alumni-led “Future of Mechanical Engineering” initiative that brings together leaders in AI, advanced manufacturing, robotics, energy, aerospace, and entrepreneurship through mentoring, small roundtables, and industry challenge projects. I would also like to help create more pathways for students and young alumni to translate research into real-world impact through entrepreneurship, industry partnerships, and cross-disciplinary collaboration. 


 

I see a major opportunity for the Council to help make Atlanta a stronger destination for engineering entrepreneurship. Georgia Tech produces exceptional technical talent and research, but much of that potential ultimately leaves the region. By connecting students and faculty with local founders, investors, industry leaders, mentors, and commercialization resources, the Council can help create a stronger pathway from innovation at the Woodruff School to new companies, jobs, and economic impact here in Atlanta.






 

Partner with industry leaders to understand where they see work will be in the next decade. Partner with manufacturing leaders to understand how technology will advance manufacturing and what skills will be needed to design these advanced systems. The lines between "electrician," "process control engineer," and "electrical engineer" are being blurred in manufacturing with automation. These roles are often filled by engineers of all disciplines that like to be hands-on. Understanding the future of this work could be beneficial to shaping mechatronics courses, focus areas, etc. for the Woodruff School. "Day in the Life" opportunities for students.


 

My main idea is a recurring series on research careers. Historically, industry paths are well covered by the Council, but the choice to pursue graduate school, national labs, and academic careers is not, and I think those are the paths students get the least honest information about. The series would cover what an M.S./Ph.D. actually involves, how to choose an advisor, how research funding works, and what the job market looks like. I would pair it with an application clinic each fall where alumni review statements of purpose and talk students through where to apply. I would also like to open up the West Coast for Woodruff School students. A lot of interesting work in manufacturing, semiconductors, and energy is happening out here, along with several national labs, but students rarely see those options, and alumni in this region are hard to reach from Atlanta.

Students are incredible innovators, and the initiatives at the Woodruff School, like the Invention Studio and Student Competition Center, have been incredibly successful. It could be great to see the council help bring these under a common student innovation initiative and continue to provide them with the long-term resources they need to be a core part of the Woodruff School's experiential learning program.








 

A goal I would suggest is to broaden the career paths visible to Woodruff School students, including academia and national laboratory careers, alongside the industry paths most alumni pursue. More specifically, I would recommend developing events and resources for students interested in research and national laboratory careers, including in nuclear energy, a field of growing national importance that draws on students from mechanical engineering and other majors, complementing the industry-focused offerings that predominate today.