The University of Utah’s College of Engineering student ambassadors met with select alumni Oct. 20 for a “speed dating” event and networking dinner in the Warnock Engineering Building Eccles Boardroom. The dinner and activity was organized as a special thank you to the college’s 25 Engineering Ambassadors for the work they do in outreach, recruitment and retention.

The students met with five members of the college’s Engineering Alumni Association, each of whom brought a unique perspective on their field of engineering. The alumni members included:

Clint Brown, Arena Digital & Marketing (electrical and computer engineering)

Erick Cuentas, Edwards Lifesciences (chemical engineering)

Tony Curtis, Horrocks (civil and environmental engineering)

David Merrill, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (mechanical engineering)

Fiona Weathersby, Recursion (biomedical engineering)

The 90-minute event employed a “speed dating” networking format in the Warnock Engineering Building’s Eccles Boardroom.  Each alum was assigned a group of four to five ambassadors to interact with during dinner. The student groups then rotated through the four remaining alumni, each session lasting about 20 minutes.

The student ambassadors were eager to interact with the EAA members, some taking the time to research their companies in advance. Meanwhile, the alumni who participated said they were impressed with the group of ambassadors.

“Meeting with students in a personal setting was such an incredible experience for me,” said Erick Cuentas. “Though they were studying different fields of engineering, it was clear they were aiming to improve their lives and the lives of others.”

“Being able to share my experiences and encourage them to keep going and pursue their dreams was all I could have asked for from a networking event like this one,” he added.

Emma Brindley, a materials science and engineering student with a nuclear engineering minor, thought the experience was invaluable. “It was really nice to see how engineering degrees can be so broad in what you can do after school and how interdisciplinary everything becomes outside of school as well,” she said.

The college would like to thank the amazing alumni for engaging with the Engineering Ambassadors and talking about their school and work experiences, which will aid these students as they launch their own successful and rewarding careers in engineering.

If you are interested in volunteer opportunities with engineering students, contact Chelsie Armstrong at chelsie.armstrong@utah.edu or 801-585-5379.