The following vignettes were produced by undergraduate students in Professor Erin Anderson’s Spring 2022 course, “The Art of the Interview” (ENGWRT 1360), based on oral history interviews they conducted with graduating seniors from the Swanson School.

Class of 2022 Oral History Project

B.S. Mechanical Engineering
 
“The next Iron Man”

Born in New Jersey, Dawson Winston dreamed of becoming an engineer from a very young age. During his time at Pitt, Winston has been involved in a myriad of extracurricular activities, including the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Pitt X Projects, and Pitt DesignHub, among others. A Pitt EXCEL scholar, he is graduating with his degree in mechanical engineering.

Dawson Winston

B.S. Mechanical Engineering
 
“You’re gonna survive this”

Amelia Wear grew up in Herndon, Virginia. She majored in mechanical engineering, minored in computer science, and completed a certificate in entrepreneurship. As an undergraduate student, she joined many clubs and organizations, including the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), where she helped found a coding program for middle schoolers, and the Urban Gaming club where she currently serves as president. After graduation she plans to work for the company LabTech and eventually go back to school to earn her master's degree.

Amelia Wear

B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering
 
“I saw the end point”

Born in New York City and raised in Pittsburgh, Andrew Toader has been involved in numerous organizations during his undergraduate studies, including serving as a corporate liaison for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a mentor in the biomedical engineer society, a student leader volunteer at Children’s Hospital and in multiple emergency medicine ski patrols. He also worked in a neuroimaging lab as a freshman and got an internship at Medtronic doing embedded systems engineering. Toader plans to attend medical school after graduation.

Andrew Toader

B.S. Industrial Engineering
 
“I was the only girl”

Keilani Swartzmiller was born in Jacksonville, Arkansas and lived on several different military bases while she was growing up, including in Hawaii and Germany. During her time as an industrial engineering student, she was a member of the Pitt EXCEL engineering program. She has also worked as a peer advisor in the Global Studies office and served as a first-year mentor and a mentor in the Pink Panthers program. Swartzmiller has been involved with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) since her first year at Pitt and now serves as the President of her chapter.

Keilani Swartzmiller

Kelly McPoyle

B.S. Bioengineering

“The wonders of the universe”
 
Ankith Rao was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia. As a bioengineering student at Pitt, he became involved with the Biomedical Engineering Society as an underclassman in search of mentorship and later transitioned into serving as a mentor himself. As a student at Pitt, he worked in the Hemorheology, Hemodynamics & Artificial Blood Laboratory and co-op’ed with Bayer’s radiology division. He plans to attend medical school after graduation.

Ankith Rao

B.S. Mechanical Engineering
 
“If it’s meant to be, it will be”

Halima Morafa grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and came to Pitt to study Mechanical Engineering. She began her freshman year as a member of the Pitt EXCEL engineering program, which she now works with as a mentor. She has been a member of the National Society of Black Engineers since 2018, and also serves as the Student Co-Chair and Research Program Student Lead for the Mechanical Engineering and Material Sciences (MEMS) Student Advisory Board. Morafa is also a member of Ya'baso, an African dance group at Pitt.

Halima Morafa

B.S. Electrical Engineering
 
“I had no clue what I was going into”

Born in Austin, Texas, Cuauhtémoc Macías moved to Pennsylvania to pursue a degree in electrical engineering at Pitt. He has been continuously involved since his freshman year with the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers, holding positions as Freshman Co-chair, External Vice-President, President, and Social Media Chair. As a member of the Pitt EXCEL program, he has worked as a student mentor at the Summer Engineering Academy and completed the Summer Research Internship program. He has most recently served as a teaching assistant for a microelectronics course.

Cuauhtémoc Macías

B.S. Civil Engineering, Certificate in Sustainability
 
“Life is pretty messy”

Isabel Lee was born in New Jersey. She grew up fascinated with Legos and building things, which eventually led to her passion for engineering. She is graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, with a minor in Spanish. She has been a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) since freshman year, holding a leadership position since sophomore year. During her time at Pitt, she was also captain of the Balsa Wood Bridge team, captain of the intramural volleyball team, and a member of the Society of Women Engineers.

Isabel Lee

B.S. Industrial Engineering
 
“A safe space”

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Anaya Joynes is studying industrial engineering with a concentration in engineering management. Her parents also attended Pitt, where they met and fell in love. During her time at Pitt, Anaya has been heavily involved with Pitt EXCEL, the Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), which she serves as Chapter President.

Anaya Joynes

B.S. Environmental Engineering
 
“This is what I want to do”

Melina Hudson was born in Milford, Delaware and came to Pitt to study environmental engineering. She joined the Pitt Band as a freshman and continued all four years, playing the saxophone. During her undergraduate years, she joined the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and became a member of the fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi, devoted to music and band members. After completing an accelerated Master’s degree program in 2023, Hudson plans to work for Greenman Pedersen Inc., focusing on highway and road design as well as water resources, in her home town of Milford.

Melina Hudson

B.S. Bioengineering

“That’s why I’m here”

Uthman Fadu was born in Nigeria, immigrating to the U.S. with his parents and older brother when he was a child. His family spent six years in Rhode Island, where they found a close-knit community through a local Nigerian Muslim mosque before moving to Sheraden, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Fadu attended Taylor Allderdice High School, where he was first introduced to the field of engineering, and came to the University of Pittsburgh as a member of the Pitt EXCEL program to study bioengineering. Following graduation, he will be doing consulting work for Deloitte.

Uthman Fadu

B.S. Environmental Engineering
 
“I just wanted something different”

Logan Dyer grew up in Mechanicsburg, PA and came to the University of Pittsburgh to study environmental engineering. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and serves as Vice President of the Pitt chapter of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. He also serves as the captain of the Pitt Environmental Team. In Summer 2021, he participated in a study abroad program with Dr. David Sanchez focused on sustainable design and innovation in Guam.

Logan Dyer

B.S. Civil Engineering
 
“What Black engineering means”

Samuel Copeland was born in Dayton, Ohio and grew up in Moon Township, Pennsylvania just outside of Pittsburgh. Alongside his degree in Civil Engineering, he graduated with minors in Industrial Engineering and Africana Studies and plans to study engineering at the graduate level. He was the Region 2 Programs Chair of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and was also involved in Pitt Engineering’s EXCEL Program.

Samuel Copeland

B.S. Industrial Engineering 
 
“It’s a motivator, for sure”

Philip Andreoli was born in Harrisburg and grew up in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania with his twin brother, Carmen. During his time at Pitt, Andreoli has been a member of several on-campus organizations, including the Pitt Jazz Band, in which he plays guitar; the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, which he currently serves as Vice President; and the Supply Chain Management Club, which he currently serves as President. He received the award for Outstanding Senior from the Department of Industrial Engineering, as well as the Outstanding Service Award.

Philip Andreoli

B.S. Chemical Engineering
 
“A big turning point”

Born in Mason, Ohio, Natalie Steibel came to Pittsburgh to study chemical engineering in 2018, recruited as a member of the Pitt volleyball team. As an undergrad, Steibel has been involved with the student athlete advisory committee, Tau Beta Pi, and the Society of Women Engineers. She also completed a co-op at Johnson and Johnson in Philadelphia in 2021, where she worked in technical operations and later became the president of the Intern and Co-op Association.

Class of 2022 Oral History Project

PittEngineering