College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Kaili Lawson: Outstanding senior in computer engineering

Kaili Lawson
Kaili Lawson

“As a computer engineer, I have a great opportunity to leave a positive mark on the world. While I am not sure where I will end up in the future, I hope that it is somewhere where my skills will be used to help people and better the world. I think that wherever I find myself, I will also be a mentor to younger people, as it is inspiring to see people like yourself working in your field.”

Hometown: Johnston, Iowa

Clubs and activities: Tau Beta Pi and Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE). I met some of my best friends through WiSE events, so I am incredibly grateful for everyone who puts together events! I also loved to participate in many different kinds of intramurals. My favorites were sand volleyball and broomball.

Valuable hands-on learning experience: My senior design group project has been an incredible real-world experience that allows us to meet with our client weekly, create our own schedule and follow through with these deliverables. My project is in an area that I am very interested in, which makes the experience invaluable! And it’s great working in a team over an entire year, as it allows you to truly get to know one another and appreciate everyone’s strengths.

Most influential mentor: There are tons of amazing mentors at Iowa State, but the most influential mentor to me was University Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Diane Rover. Her course was my first embedded systems class, which I enjoyed greatly. I went on to TA for her class., and find my passion in embedded systems! 

Alongside Dr. Rover, my computer engineering dad, who also has a degree in computer engineering from Iowa State, has been so encouraging and taught me many skills in addition to what I learned in the classroom.

Best memory: I have always loved Iowa State basketball, so the ability to attend games as a student was a dream come true. I especially enjoyed the Texas vs. ISU game this year because the environment was so fun!

Plans for after graduation: I will be moving to Seattle to work at Blue Origin as an embedded flight software engineer.

Making my mark on the world: As a computer engineer, I have a great opportunity to leave a positive mark on the world. While I am not sure where I will end up in the future, I hope that it is somewhere where my skills will be used to help people and better the world. I think that wherever I find myself, I will also be a mentor to younger people, as it is inspiring to see people like yourself working in your field. 

Engineering like a Cyclone Engineer: In my experience, there is a great sense of community within Cyclone Engineering. The path to graduation is not an easy one, but everyone is in it together and supports each other along the way. You can tell that the professors and TAs are excited about the content and are always willing to help. We do lots of group projects, which helps you to make connections and community. Overall, as a Cyclone Engineer, I will go out into the industry with tons of experience working with others and a network of engineers supporting me along the way.

Loading...