Trevor Smith

Trevor Smith was laser-focused on his future even before the start of his first-year at Arizona State University. One month before the start of his first semester, he decided to switch his major to electrical engineering. 

“I really thought things out and concluded that I didn’t want my future career to be largely software and coding-based, and instead I wanted to deal directly with electronics and align with my interests,” he says.

ASU also appealed to him because of the opportunities it offered, including research and the Grand Challenges Scholars Program.

This spring, Smith earns his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU.

Through his experiences, he says that students may overestimate the difficulty and scale of electrical engineering as a major, but highlights the many resources that can help students stay on track. One of the most important resources he says students should utilize: connecting with faculty.

“My biggest piece of advice to students is to talk to your professors, even professors you don’t have classes with,” he says. “They’re a great resource when you’re in need of help, and you never know what kind of opportunities you might be able to find through them.”

Smith built experience through impactful lab research. In the Semiconductor Device Research Lab working under Ying-Chen “Daphne” Chen, an assistant professor in the Fulton Schools, he studied resistive random access memory through literature reviews, presentations, and later physical lab testing for his senior capstone project. 

Service also played a pivotal role in his academics. Smith worked with Engineering Projects in Community Service on an affordable braille display for visually impaired students in South Africa.

“This project allowed me to work in a cross-functional team to try to solve a problem that affects real people,” he says. “The team’s motivations soon became my own motivation to push the project further.”

After graduation, Smith plans to stay in the Fulton Schools and begin his master’s degree in electrical engineering, focusing on his interests in mixed-signal circuit design and semiconductor devices.

“I plan on working towards more research and development aligned roles in the future, where I get to work with the most promising emerging technologies in order to create unique solutions that have never been seen before,” Smith says.

Favorites

Hobby: Rubik’s Cube speedsolving
Activity: Martial arts
Game: osu!
Book: Deep Work by Cal Newport
Performer: Porter Robinson

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2026 class.

Written by AJ Montes