Celebrating the 2026 College of Engineering and Applied Sciences’ Presidential Scholars
KALAMAZOO, Mich.— Every year, Western Michigan University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences honors outstanding students as Presidential Scholars, the highest academic honor that WMU can bestow on its undergraduates. Selection is based on a student's general academic excellence, academic and artistic excellence relative to their majors, and intellectual and artistic promise. One student is selected from each department.
The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences is pleased to announce its 2026 Presidential Scholars.
Aus Al Rasbi
Presidential Scholar in Computer Science
For Aus Al Rasbi, cybersecurity is a field of always evolving challenges that bring new excitement every day. With new threats arising daily, Al Rasbi finds new ways to enhance his skills with every project he takes on.
“I enjoy challenging myself, and cybersecurity provides continuous opportunities to solve new problems,” says Al Rasbi. “This helps me improve my critical thinking and keeps me motivated to keep learning.”
Al Rasbi aims to continue to learn with the cybersecurity field. He plans to do this via his technical and analytical thinking skills, citing that cybersecurity is more than just technical knowledge—it also requires unique perspectives and approaches for problem solving. He credits Dr. Alan Rea, professor of cybersecurity, for teaching him this concept.
“I am very thankful for his teaching style, which focused on applying technical concepts, helping me develop both practical and conceptual skills,” says Al Rasbi.
Luke Borowski
Presidential Scholar in Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management
With a focus on process improvement, supply chain management and data-driven operations, Luke Borowski is excited to enter the field of industrial and entrepreneurial engineering.
“What excites me most is how dynamic my degree is, allowing me to solve real-world problems across many different areas,” says Borowski. “Adding value to a system, whether it is making something more efficient, lowering the cost, increasing the quality, etc., excites me to keep progressing and never stay complacent.”
Borowski made the most of his undergraduate years at WMU. He is co-president of WMU’s chapter of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), as well as a member of engineering honors society Tau Beta Pi, Supply Chain Management Association (SCMA) and the industrial engineering honor society Alpha Pi Mu, where he served as president last term.
“The student organizations here are a great way to build community,” says Borowski.
After an internship with Ford Motor Company, Borowski accepted a full-time role in their rotational program.
Nic Buccilli
Presidential Scholar in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Nic Buccilli is always busy—between being a full-time student, a flight test engineer for rotorcraft, president of Latin Dance Club, starting Bronco Makers Club and working as a Spanish translator and interpreter, they’ve got a lot on their plate.
Their passion lies in aviation and vertical flight. A big fan of rotorcraft, Buccilli is intrigued to see how these machines can become sustainable and integrated into urban environments. They hope to bring their passions into the workplace.
“I envision myself working on multidisciplinary, international test programs,” says Buccilli. “I am interested in test directing, organizing and directing flight test teams on site. My dream assignment would be completing a flight test engineering course at Naval Test Pilot School.”
Buccilli will be returning to Boeing Vertical Lift in Philadelphia as a flight test engineer this summer and is hoping to transition into a full-time role after graduating in December 2026.
Lily Kieliszewski
Presidential Scholar in Engineering Design and Manufacturing
For Lily Kieliszewski, creating is a passion. Interested in roles such as design engineer, product engineer and process engineer, Kieliszewski found a surprising niche in the furnishing industry. She originally planned to focus on the automotive industry, but after an internship with Landscape Forms, her plan changed course.
“I look forward to being able to point at something in the future and say, ‘I helped make that,’” says Kieliszewski. “That goes hand in hand with my goal of wanting to enjoy what I do and having that feeling of purpose and happiness with my career.”
Kieliszewski hopes to find a fulfilling career and is particularly interested in leadership.
“Over the years I have experienced having some really great mentors and managers,” says Kieliszewski. “I would love to be able to lead and teach others the way they led and taught me.”
Aimee Lambert
Presidential Scholar in Chemical and Paper Engineering
Aimee Lambert is moving up. As a student in the pulp and paper industry, with a specific interest in the tissue and towel sector, she is ready to leap into the workforce prepped and ready.
“I am excited to join an industry that values sustainability, innovation and career mobility,” says Lambert. “I find it very exciting to have a hand in not only manufacturing the types of goods that people all around the world rely on every day, but also in innovating the products of tomorrow and the processes through which they are produced.”
Lambert’s goals are clear: after an undergraduate career as an ambassador for the Department of Chemical and Paper Engineering, as well as a PEER mentor for underclassmen, and a member of Ts’ai Lun, WMU’s chapter of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, she has accepted a position as a process engineer at a towel and tissue mill with Kimberly-Clark.
“Longer term, I hope to step into a leadership role that oversees larger departments and technical teams and leads capital projects,” says Lambert. “Most importantly, I want to see myself in a position in which I am able to keep learning and growing, which I think is quite likely in the career path I have chosen.”
Nolin Szafranski
Presidential Scholar in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Electrical engineering student Nolin Szafranski isn’t quite done learning yet. Through pursuing an accelerated Master of Computer Science at WMU, he is opening his horizon to endless possibilities.
“I am interested in projects involving real-time processing, control systems or hardware acceleration,” says Szafranski. “As I grow in my career, I would like to take on more complex system-level design challenges and eventually contribute to architecting complete embedded solutions.”
Szafranski’s favorite part of the field is the ability to work closely with hardware, seeing how low-level design decisions directly impact system performance and behavior.
“I enjoy the problem-solving aspect of optimizing designs for speed, efficiency and reliability,” says Szafranski. “Additionally, the field is constantly evolving, especially with hardware acceleration, which makes it exciting to keep learning and applying new technologies.”
Not Pictured: Caden Boynton, presidential scholar of Civil and Construction Engineering.
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