Meet some of the class of 2017
As we welcome a record number of incoming students to the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, meet a few members of the class of 2017.
Miranda Ruff
Major: civil engineering
Where are you from?
I’m from Washington state.
Why did you choose ASU?
I actually came out here for a trip with my family and fell in love with Arizona and the campus. I knew I wanted to go to college here—and they gave me a really good scholarship. My sister goes here. All of the people are friendly.
What other schools did you consider?
I looked at University of Washington and University of Texas.
What is your dream job?
My dream job is to work on environmental issues and sustainability, so maybe something with water pollution. I just want to help better society and civil engineering does that.
Maroon or gold?
Gold
Zachary Blomberg
Major: civil engineering
Why did you choose ASU?
I’m from Chandler, Ariz., and ASU was a childhood favorite. I always went to ASU football games as a kid. My dad went to ASU, too.
Did you attend E2 Camp, the freshman orientation?
Yes, it was great. It’s in the woods, so how can you not like that? We learned team building and I met a lot of people.
How did you pick civil engineering?
I went to an engineering camp at ASU last summer. We had a half day at each station to learn about different fields. Civil engineering interested me the most.
What do you want to do with your degree?
I’m not really sure what I want to do—have fun and go with the flow. I’ll get into classes and see how it goes.
Maroon or gold?
Gold
Richard Aguilar
Major: electrical engineering
Why did you choose ASU?
I chose ASU for its engineering program. It’s the best in the state. I’m from Chandler, and have been here since I was four years old.
How did you decide to pursue a degree in electrical engineering?
I chose electrical engineering because I’m very interested in computer science and electricity and how everything works. It’s very broad and can get me a job across the country. My dad is an engineer at Motorola, so I’m going to do internships with him and see if I like what he does and then narrow it down.
What are you excited about as you start your freshman year?
I’m excited about all of the opportunities at ASU. I’m planning to get into volleyball, maybe research. I’m ready to get started.
Maroon or gold?
Gold
Catie Hoekstra
Major: mechanical engineering
Why did you choose ASU?
I think ASU gives me opportunities to take control of my education and get the best college experience that I can.
Where are you from?
I’m from Prescott, Ariz.
Has anyone else in your family gone to ASU?
At least 20 family members have attended ASU. But coming here was my own choice.
What is your major?
I chose mechanical engineering because I love working on engines.
What are you excited about as you start your freshman year?
I’m excited to apply the things I’m learning through internships and clubs.
Maroon or gold?
Maroon
Michael Nassief
Major: mechanical engineering
Why did you decide to come to ASU?
I wanted to stay in state and I wanted to pick the in-state college that had the best engineering program. I thought this is the best opportunity for me to be successful in what I want to do.
Why mechanical engineering?
My ultimate dream is to build racecars. I’ve just always been interested in cars. I find myself when I’m bored just looking up cars.
Are you going to be living on campus?
I’m going to be living in the Barrett residential community.
What are you excited about as you start your freshman year?
I’m really just excited to get involved. This is a huge college. There is so much to get involved in and so much to do. I’m looking forward to trying to embrace it all.
Maroon or gold?
Maroon
Heather Frazer
Major: mechanical engineering
Where are you from?
I’m from Phoenix and went to Arcadia High School
What other colleges did you consider attending and why did you choose ASU?
I was accepted at UA, NAU and the University of Wyoming. Wyoming was a strong contender but I felt ASU was best overall for the quality of education, for finding internships and making business connections. I had friends who went through the mechanical engineering program here and a friend of my parents is a mechanical engineer who graduated from ASU, and I liked what they had to say about the program.
What is your dream career?
I would like to work for Honeywell or Boeing, and I would also like to teach or be a mentor, or a leader of a high school robotics team so that I could inspire young students to go into engineering, because I think it’s the best place to be for a career.
What are you most excited about now that you’re a starting college?
I’m just really excited to go to classes. I know that’s like really nerdy, but I like being independent, and in college it’s all on you. In high school you always have teachers hovering around you. But in college I know that if I’m going to make it, it’s going to be up to me, and that’s what I want. I’m also excited about football games. Studying comes first, but I want to go to as many games as I can.
What are you most anxious about?
I’m actually afraid of failure. I don’t think I’m really worried that is going to happen, but I want to be successful and be able to look back and say I did what I wanted to do and be proud of achieving it.
Maroon or gold?
I’m wearing it. Maroon.
Michael McGee
Major: electrical engineering
Where are you from?
I’m from Phoenix.
Where did you go to school?
I graduated from Sunnyslope High School and am transferring to ASU from Glendale Community College.
What other colleges did you consider attending and why did you choose ASU?
ASU was my choice because I studied the college rankings. ASU is ranked in the top 100 colleges in the world and it’s the best for engineering in Arizona.
What is your dream career?
I love the idea of working on green energy, especially solar energy, doing the electrical engineering part of developing alternative energy technology. I’m also interested in solid-state electronics, the stuff inside computers.
What are you most excited about now that you’re a starting college?
I’m excited to be part of the ASU community. Coming here and seeing the culture and all the research that is being done, it’s an exciting feeling and I want to be a part of it.
What are you most anxious about?
I’m anxious that the classes will be hard, especially the electrical circuits class. I had some friends who actually ended up failing some of the circuits classes. It’s intimidating. My goal is not to fail.
Maroon or gold?
Gold
Andrew Maw
Major: computer science
Where are you from?
Originally from Utah but moved to Arizona at young age.
What other colleges did you consider attending and why did you choose ASU?
I applied only to ASU because it was the best choice.
What is your dream career?
It would be fun to go into video games.
What are you most excited about now that you’re a starting college?
I’m excited about the classes and about learning new things. I like the campus community. There’s a sense of camaraderie and everyone is very friendly and wants to get to know you.
What are you most anxious about?
Early classes. I have one at 7:30 in the morning, and getting there on time is going to be challenging
Maroon or gold?
Maroon
Richard Carman
Major: construction engineering
Where are you from?
I’m from Simi Valley, Calif.
What other colleges did you consider attending and why did you choose ASU?
I was thinking of playing Division II lacrosse so I applied to and was accepted at some colleges in North Carolina. But I decided instead to go into the Air Force ROTC, and ASU felt like a good fit for both that and my major. My older sister is a senior in communications here and my mom got her master’s degree here. So I feel comfortable here because of that. Also it’s relatively close to home but still far enough away from my parents to have some freedom.
What is your dream career?
Well, I’m doing the Air Force ROTC. So first I hope I can be a pilot, and we’ll just see where it goes from there.
What are you most excited about now that you’re a starting college?
I’m definitely most excited about football games.
What are you most anxious about?
All the homework. I’m actually going to have to study.
Maroon or gold?
Maroon
Nichole Emmons
Major: computer science
Where are you from?
I’m from Montgomery, Ala., but originally from the Phoenix-Tempe area.
What other colleges did you consider attending and why did you choose ASU?
I applied to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and to ASU. I wanted to be in a big-city setting. I got into the honors college here. And when I toured the campus I saw a big room full of supercomputers and I was sold. Plus my dad attended here and he recommended it. He’s happy I’m going here.
What is your dream career?
I really want to do computer programming for the technology that helps people with amputations hook up to prosthetics. I want to create the software to make it possible to connect the robotics to the nerves in the human body.
What are you most excited about now that you’re a starting college?
I’m excited about all the math. I love math.
What are you most anxious about?
I am a little nervous about the computer programming classes because I am still fairly new at it. I did teach myself HTML and CSS in the sixth grade, but I heard Java is different so I am not really sure what to expect. I plan on making straight A’s, but I have a feeling that may not happen. But that’s the plan.
Maroon or Gold?
Maroon
Jared Kisler
Major: biomedical engineering
Why did you choose ASU?
I’m from the Phoenix area. Even though I would have liked to get away more, there is no reason to go anywhere else when there is such a good engineering school right down the street. And my dad went to ASU; he’s a CPA.
Why did you choose biomedical engineering?
I chose biomedical engineering because I think it is very interesting. It’s a growing market with lots of opportunities and ASU is going to put me where I need to be.
Is there anything in particular that you’d like to learn more about in biomedical engineering?
Recently I’ve been really interested in neuroscience. I did a research paper on it and that really sparked my interest.
What are you excited about as you start your freshman year?
I’m excited about meeting new people, going to events and football games and being on my own.
Maroon or gold?
Maroon
Abigael Omijie
Major: computer systems engineering
Where are you from?
Originally from Nigeria, but moved to Arizona at age 10.
What other colleges did you consider attending and why did you choose ASU?
I’m transferring from Glendale Community College. I applied to UA and ASU. ASU seemed like a good fit for me because there are a lot of different kinds of research programs that I would like to get involved in.
What is your dream career?
I would like to go into computer network technology. I’m a little undecided about where I want to go with it. I’m just going to take classes and keeping thinking about what direction I want to go in.
What are you most excited about now that you’re a starting college?
I am looking forward to the new environment and the new people. I’m excited about joining engineering clubs and all the activities going on.
What are you most anxious about?
I’m nervous about classes, especially circuits classes. Those will be tough ones.
Maroon or gold?
Maroon
Josh Rash
Major: aerospace engineering
Where are you from?
I am from Yuma. I graduated from Yuma High School. I’m transferring to ASU from Arizona Western College, where I got a degree in welding
What other colleges did you consider attending and why did you choose ASU?
ASU was my only choice. Simply put, I think it has the best engineering school in this region of the country. I think it offers a more multifaceted education. You can go into mechanical, chemical, aerospace and a lot of other areas of engineering. There are more choices than at a lot of other places.
What is your dream career?
I have a lot of dream careers. One would be working for the Department of Defense. But I also wouldn’t mind being a racecar engineer, engineering Formula One racecars or something along those lines.
What are you most excited about now that you’re a starting college?
I’m mostly just excited about finally getting things going and starting classes.
What are you most anxious about?
Starting classes.
Maroon or gold?
Gold
Clementina Reynolds
Major: electrical engineering
Why did you pick ASU?
I like the opportunities that ASU offers—all the scholarships and good programs, and I live in Arizona.
Are there other Sun Devils in your family?
I’m first in my family to go to college.
What did you think of E2 Camp, our freshman orientation?
It was fun! My favorite part was throwing water balloons at the dean.
Why did you choose electrical engineering?
I chose electrical engineering because I thought it was the broadest field of engineering. I considered biomedical engineering but I think as an electrical engineer I can do BME and get more into biosensors.
What is your dream job?
My dream is to work in a research lab.
What are you excited about as you start your freshman year?
I’m excited to join clubs, meet new people and I think I am going to minor in dance.
Maroon or gold?
Maroon
Edward Lebeau
Major: electrical engineering
He started the school year off early by working with the Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies (QESST) Engineering Resource Center, a program supported by ASU LightWorks.
Where are you from?
I’m a Tempe native. I graduated from Tempe Preparatory Academy.
What other schools did you consider or get accepted to?
I looked around but I didn’t really feel the need to go anywhere else.
Why did you choose ASU?
I wanted to be an engineer and ASU has a great research department and good funding, and they give amazing scholarships, which is great. Through the Research Experience for Undergraduates (at QESST), I learned the ins and outs of photovoltaics. It felt sort of like having my own research project.
Are any of your other family members Sun Devils?
I grew up in a family of five and all of them have gone to ASU, even my parents.
What is your dream?
I’d like to run my own engineering company and try to start up my own thing. Because of my experience with the Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies, obviously I have an interest in sustainable energy.
What are you most excited about now that you are at college?
I’m excited about growing up and becoming less of a child and more of a man.
Any fears?
No, not really. I’ve seen my family go through ASU before and they’ve all had a good experience. Plus, I have my family around, so I know if I need help, I can get it.
Maroon or gold?
“Gold! My high school colors were blue and gold, so I like the gold.”
