Tyler Souders

What makes engineering fun? For Tyler Souders, it’s the challenge.

“It’s the hours of frustration and pulling your hair out, only for you to jolt from bed on the verge of sleeping because you finally figured it out,” he says.

Souders did not know much about ASU or about engineering when he started his freshman year, only that mechanical engineering seemed like a logical choice as he had always been an inquisitive tinkerer.

The resources the university offered ultimately led him to find his passion in aerospace engineering.

“The most fascinating aspect of aerospace engineering is how iterative, creative and open-form the solutions to problems are,” says Souders. “Even some of the simplest solutions require ingenuity and rigorous evaluation prior to any real application.”

He applied his skills through Engineering Projects in Community Service and the Fulton Undergraduate Research Initiative.

Outside of his classes, Souders spent his time giving back to the Fulton Schools community as vice president of Fulton Ambassadors, a lead tutor in the Fulton Schools Tutoring Centers, logistics director for the ASU chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, a member at large for the American Institute of Aeronautics and an undergraduate teaching assistant/grader for multiple classes.

“I feel that my contributions to the tutoring center have been instrumental, making the push to really affect how people tutor and teach students how to be tutored,” says Souders. “In my grading and undergraduate teaching assistant positions, I have watched my input and contributions help guide others to success, which is the most fulfilling feeling.”

Souders will be returning to ASU in the fall to complete a graduate degree through the Fulton Schools 4+1 accelerated master’s degree program. Afterward, he plans to earn his doctorate and eventually become a professor.

“Engineering has opened my eyes to the numerous ways the world around me can be better optimized,” says Souders. “I would love to contribute to STEM advancement and education in grad school because I feel that there is so much untapped potential.”

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ spring 2020 class here.