Meet the 2022 Presidential Scholars
Ben Buell, Presidential Scholar in Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management.
Ben Buell kicked off his career in the healthcare industry at Pfizer where he is part of a rotational development program.
“I'm most excited to be involved in work making life-changing impacts on others. I was a member of the honors society at my high school and in the Lee Honors College here up until my final semester, so I am hopeful that my job at Pfizer will allow me to feel that joy of doing work that extends beyond myself.”
Buell’s most memorable experience at WMU: “Hockey! I went to every game possible while at WMU, including flying to Las Vegas my freshman year to watch them play in a New Year's tournament! Living in the dorms my first year was great too, I made some fantastic friends living on the Honors College floor in Fox Hall.”
Julianna Buck, Presidential Scholar in Engineering Design, Manufacturing and Management Systems.
Julianna Buck is working toward a career in the amusement park industry, striving to design amusement park rides. She will participate in the Disney College Program during fall 2022.
“I am excited to work with people in the same industry as I am and gain more knowledge.”
Buck’s most memorable experience at WMU: “My most memorable experience at WMU is managing the Bronco Robotics teams and traveling with the team to compete at the World Championship.”
Lauren Cuddeback, Presidential Scholar in Chemical and Paper Engineering.
Lauren Cuddeback has launched her career in the pulp and paper industry in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she is a process engineer at International Paper.
“I believe that the pulp and paper industry is at the forefront of sustainability and I am excited to be in the industry where there is such an immense growth period. I am most excited about working to create new and innovative ways to make environmentally friendly products! I really want my job to have a positive impact on this earth whether it’s discovering new and sustainable fiber sources, conserving water in the papermaking process, creating paper products that can replace current single-use plastics, or discovering ways to increase recyclability in paper products. There is a lot of room for improvements that are being made throughout the pulp and paper industry and I am delighted to be a part of that!” says Cuddeback.
Cuddeback’s most memorable experience at WMU: “I have met so many wonderful people during my time in the Paper Engineering Program at WMU. Through classes, RSO meetings, and internships I have been able to make so many friendships and memories that I will cherish forever. I’ve had such a huge support system through the paper program that has given me the space to grow as a person and as an engineer and I am very thankful for that.”
Bharat Goel, Presidential Scholar in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Bharat Goel is pursuing his career in the power electronics industry. He is currently in the accelerated master’s program at WMU and has accepted a full-time position with Consumers Energy.
“My masters research focus is on passive energy generation and my job will focus on energy distribution. I'm excited for both because of I want the impact my engineering to be for the environment and for a more sustainable future.”
Bharat’s most memorable experience at WMU: “My most memorable experiences at WMU come from the friends I've made through my classes, organizations and events.”
Samantha Heatherly, Presidential Scholar in Civil and Construction Engineering.
Samantha Heatherly graduated in December 2021 and accepted a full-time position as a design engineer at Engineering Resource Associates in Warrenville, Illinois.
“I am most excited to be working with engineers from different departments to learn about the various aspects of the design process. l love seeing how the work we do in the office transforms into a completed project in the field.”
Heatherly’s most memorable experience at WMU: “All the people I met and the friendships I made. From being an RA in Western Heights to working on my senior design project with my friends—there are so many good memories. I think the most memorable moment at Western was seeing our senior design project on the news. Being able to apply everything we learned throughout our time at Western to a real project was an amazing experience.”
Austin Owen, Presidential Scholar in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Austin Owen is pursuing his career in the energy industry, specifically with utilities such as natural gas and electricity production. He has accepted a full-time position with Consumers Energy in the natural gas branch in a 2-year engineering rotation program.
“I am most excited about the energy industry because of the technological advancements which are upcoming as our world transitions to cleaner sources of energy production and utilization. There are many new ways to introduce automation, computer-controls, and data monitoring systems to improve the performance of these resources. Finally, I am excited to have the opportunity to be involved with projects that keep the lights on and houses warm for many Michiganders.”
Owen's most memorable experience at WMU: “My most memorable experiences during my time at WMU have been the number of opportunities I have been fortunate to have. From being a mentor and student coordinator for the Lee Honors College Peer Student Success Team to being a Lawson Lunatic and attending almost every home hockey game to having multiple summer engineering internships with some of Michigan’s largest companies, and being involved on a research project with the Center for Advanced Vehicle Design and Simulation lab for my senior design project. I am proud to be a WMU Bronco and am so thankful for the support from faculty, staff, and fellow students over the last four years.”
Dakota Shapiro, Presidential Scholar in Computer Science.
Dakota Shapiro is launching his career in software engineering, embedded systems and web development.
He has accepted a full-time position with Open Systems Technologies in Grand Rapids following graduation. After interning with Open Systems last year, the company offered him a full-time position.
“I am most excited about getting to put what I have learned to use. Software development is an amazing mix of creativity and technical skill, and I can’t wait to get started!”
Shapiro’s most memorable experience at WMU: “Taking part in the rewrite of the Western Student Association’s constitution. My friends and I in that RSO spent hours laughing and working through that document and it was one of my most fulfilling moments at this University.”