Abby Krell

Abby Krell, the Spring 2022 Outstanding Graduate says engineering is fun because it’s about finding new ways of doing things.

“I’ve always wanted to become an engineer,” says Krell, an industrial engineering student in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. “I chose industrial engineering as it aligned with my interest in business improvement and other career goals.”

Krell originally majored in engineering management to study the business side of engineering. When she eventually switched to industrial engineering, she immediately knew it was the right decision, giving her the perfect balance between business and engineering.

“Industrial engineering is about making things more efficient,” she says. “By improving the way we do things, we make room for innovation — this is how we move forward as a society.”

The Chandler, Arizona, native is also a student in Barrett, the Honors College, and her honors thesis is a process improvement project with ASU’s Biodesign Clinical Testing Laboratory.

“I had the opportunity of working alongside other Barrett students in an effort to make real change for the ASU community,” says Krell. “It was the most meaningful project I’ve worked on during my academic career.”

Krell says she made lifelong friends and will always cherish the time she had with her professors. One of them is Professor of Practice Daniel McCarville, who she says both inspired her and gave invaluable advice about the professional world.

“He is incredibly supportive and cares so much about his students,” says Krell.

In her first two years at ASU, Krell was involved in the Engineering Projects in Community Service program, known as EPICS, the Grand Challenges Scholars Program, known as GCSP, and Fulton Ambassadors.

“EPICS and GCSP gave me a space to work on real-world projects and learn how to apply myself,” she says. “Fulton Ambassadors was a great opportunity to build my interpersonal skills and help inspire future engineers.”

Following graduation, Krell has accepted a full-time offer as an industrial engineer with NXP Semiconductors in Chandler, and will also complete her master’s degree in industrial engineering through ASU’s 4+1 program.

“I am so excited to be working as an industrial engineer for NXP,” says Krell. “I plan to stay with the company indefinitely and hopefully make some significant process improvements.”

Krell says that engineering gave her a new sense of purpose.

“I’ll never have a job where I’m forced to do the same thing over and over again. My job is to be creative,” she says. “I think that’s pretty cool.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ Spring 2022 class here.