See the formal announcement at the School of Engineering Senior Awards & Honors Celebration˺ (skip to time 33:22).
I am honored to receive the Engineering Humanities Award from the Santa Clara University School of Engineering. I have been fortunate to work with talented and dedicated teachers in many disciplines throughout my educational career who guided me through challenging subjects and taught me to be an independent thinker. Most importantly, they inspired a love of learning that enabled me to bridge ideas from different subject areas to solve problems. I am grateful to my friends, family, and community who have supported me through my education and encouraged me to try different things, from leading children in building kites made of reclaimed material to nurturing aquatic ecosystems to drawing informational yet humorous comics.
While sculptures, songs, cartoons, and novels may be different from electric cars, robots, smartphones, and bridges, we need the arts for human-centered engineering and engineering for designing elegant art. While my primary occupation is mechanical engineer, I strive to be a scientist, writer, artist, and leader who creates holistic and meaningful solutions. I am proud to graduate from a school that recognizes the interdisciplinary nature of engineering.