²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State engineering grad capitalized on opportunities
KENNESAW, Ga. | Dec 13, 2021
Alisa Machiwalla's interest in mechanical engineering was sparked at a young age by watching her father fix things around the house.
βHeβs super handy and I wanted to be like him,β Machiwalla said.
This week, she will graduate from ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ Stateβs (SPCEET) with a degree in and a minor in . After graduation, she will put her education to use at a Georgia company where she will be working with control systems used in multiple industries.
Machiwalla grew up in Marietta and worried that she wasnβt branching out enough if she chose to enroll in a university close to home. She figured she might attend ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State for a couple of years and then transfer.
βBut when it came time to think about transferring, I didnβt want to go,β Machiwalla said. βI had great professors here and wonderful opportunities. I really appreciated the smaller classroom sizes and the ability to meet one-on-one with professors who actually got to know me.β
Machiwalla was presented the SPCEET Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award in 2020 and has earned several scholarships throughout her time at ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅, including the Department of Energyβs Nuclear Engineering Integrated University Program Scholarship (2019, 2020, 2021), the Atkins Foundation Women and Minorities STEM Scholarship (2021) and the American Nuclear Societyβs Raymond DiSalvo Memorial Scholarship (2021).
Machiwalla, who is also in , was the American Nuclear Society ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ Chapter president, she completed three rotations as an engineering co-op student with Southern Nuclear, interned with Enercon and served as a teaching assistant at ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅.
Nuclear engineering professor Eduardo Farfan met Machiwalla in a class and instantly recognized her potential.
βHer intelligence, courtesy, honesty and effort impressed me so much that I decided to invite her to participate in a research project conducted by the ,β Farfan said. βSince joining NESEL, Alisa has been diligent about the research work she was given and has worked hard to make as much of a positive impact in the research group as possible.β
Machiwalla has also been Farfanβs nuclear lab student assistant where she enjoys helping younger students succeed in the classroom. She plans to get her professional engineering license and is considering pursuing a graduate degree in the future.
βMy academic experience has absolutely prepared me for life after graduation,β she said. βI learned the engineering fundamentals and how to apply them. Iβve grown in so many ways since I first came on campus and am thankful for my ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ experience.β
β Abbey OβBrien Barrows
Photos by David Casselli
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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. ²έΑρΚΣΖ΅ State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.