Aryzema Urrutia

For Aryzema Urrutia, Arizona State University runs in the family. Her parents met at the school, which created a desire to study at ASU after graduating from high school in Gilbert, Arizona.

She began her Fulton Schools experience as a computer science student but switched her major to industrial engineering, after excelling in her first classes.

Linda Chattin, a teaching professor of engineering management and industrial engineering in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, was highly impressed by Urrutia’s work.

“While modest and humble, Aryzema is not only excellent academically but a consummate professional and serious about her academic path. She understands and appreciates the values of punctuality, clear and concise communication, and persistent work ethic,” says Chattin. “ASU’s loss of her through graduation is the gain of others who will find her a joy as both a colleague and a friend.”

Urrutia developed a sense of purpose in offering support to other students. She served as a teaching assistant and grader, pitching in to meet students outside the professor’s normal office hours and creating an online discussion forum to help classmates develop a sense of community.

She found the work inspiring and says, “My time as a grader allowed me to guide students and drive positive change through constructive feedback. I have seen firsthand the impact that this made on the students with their continued progress and improvement during the semester.”

She joined the ASU chapter of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers and worked as the group’s treasurer, helping organize community-building and professional development events.

“As a Latina woman in a STEM field, I recognize the importance of safe and supportive spaces within the engineering world,” Urrutia says. “I continuously strive to provide that through my leadership.”

The recipient of a New American University President’s Scholarship made the dean’s list even as she tackled challenging projects. Urrutia assisted the team at Freeport-McMoRan, a Phoenix-based mining company, in creating a failure mode and effects analysis, and completed her capstone project in conjunction with researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The future looks bright. Urrutia, who will also be receiving her certificate in international business studies, hopes to eventually work in an engineering management role abroad. 

She says, “Engineering has given me more confidence in my problem-solving skills and helped me see the world through a more analytical lens.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2024 class here.