8th Annual Alumni Weekend
Saturday, February 11th, 2023
Meet our Alumni Panelists:
WISE RP alumni pursue a wide range of academic and career paths after they leave the University. Here are the featured panelists for alumni weekend 2023
Casey Albertsun is a technologist who is passionate about people and how they interact with technology. Casey joined WISE RP in 2010 and served as a peer mentor in the 2011-2012 school year. During undergrad, she was on the advisory board for WISE, participated in UROP, and was a committee lead for MRelax.
Casey graduated from LSA in 2013 with a BA in Social Computing Informatics.
Since graduating, Casey has enjoyed a ten-year career at Ford! She has held various positions at Ford Motor Company and Ford Credit in Information Technology with a focus on Product Management and leadership of Agile software development teams.
Casey chose to continue her studies part-time while working in 2016 at UM School of Information. She completed her Master's at UM School of Information in 2020 with a specialization in Information Economics for Management.
Casey currently works as an Engineering Manager for Ford's Commerce LifeCycle Management Team where she leads a team of software engineers that develop products to help Ford customers manage their vehicle reservations and orders online.
Outside of work, when she's not chasing around a busy toddler, Casey loves to travel the world and train her dogs to compete in agility.
Johanna Grum is a principal engineer at Robert Darvas Associates, a local consulting structural engineering firm. Since joining in 2013, she gained experience & knowledge in designing structures for a wide array of building types across various industries. She is the firm's lead specialist in BIM management via Revit and the head of their IT department.
Johanna earned her Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and her Master’s degree in structural engineering; she is currently pursuing IT certificates through Washtenaw Community College. In her spare time, she competes in many races, is a member of the UMS Choral Union, and serves as the throws coach for a local high school track team.
Becky Hill completed her bachelor’s degree in 2018 and her master’s in 2019, both in aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan. During her time at Michigan, she was a peer mentor in WISE RP, co-founded the organization Women in Aeronautics and Astronautics (WAA), and was president of the university chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
As a graduate student, she was a GSI for ENGR 100-700 and loved working with first-year students. Currently, Becky is an aerodynamics engineer at Boeing in Philadelphia, PA, working primarily on helicopter preliminary design and analysis.
Some of her current projects include developing a new vertical lift aircraft for the Air Force and improving existing simulation models of the CH-47. Previously, she was an aerodynamics stability and control engineer in Boeing’s commercial airplanes division in Seattle, WA.
Outside of work, Becky is a board member for STEM-ED, Inc, a nonprofit that runs the Aerospace Robotics Competition for high school students, and also loves hiking, biking, reading, and trying too many new types of tea.
Taryn Hayes currently lives in Virginia and works as both a behavior technician and a yoga instructor. Through her role as a behavior technician, Taryn provides therapeutic support to children with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis by promoting functional communication and advocating for their independence and autonomy. As a yoga instructor, Taryn teaches inclusive classes for all ages and abilities. She is currently applying to medical school and will be starting a program in 2023!
Taryn attended a small, rural high school located in Michigan before attending the University of Michigan for her undergraduate education. As a first generation college student, Taryn proudly earned a BS in Neuroscience in May 2020. Additionally, Taryn earned a MS in Physiology from the University of Michigan in 2021.
During Taryn's sophomore year in undergrad, she served as a peer mentor for WISE RP. Additionally, she participated in the WISE RP Recruitment Team and STEM Advisory Group. During undergrad, Taryn was actively involved in Dance Marathon at the University of Michigan (DMUM), and she serves as an alumni mentor for the DMUM today. Taryn continues to engeage with the Unuiversity of Michigan community by working with the University of Michigan Recreational Sports as as a virtual yoga instructor. She teaches Wednesday evenings at 7:45pm!
Anna Lee received her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience from University of Michigan in 2020. During her freshman year, she was a member of WISE RP and then returned as a sophomore peer mentor, as well as became a Resident Advisor for the program during her junior year. For a couple of years, she was also a club member of Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) where she was able to spend a memorable spring break experience going on a mission trip to our Costa Rica clinic site.
After graduating from the university into the COVID-19 pandemic, Anna took a couple of gap years to work and prepare for applying to Physician Assistant/Associate graduate programs. Currently, she is working as a Physical Therapy Aide and Patient Care Coordinator at a clinic in Ann Arbor. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, watching tv shows, and attending concerts.
Khush Patel is a current Masters Student at Boston University Graduate Medical Sciences and Research Program Manager at the BUSM Department of Neurology. She is a HAIL scholar who received her Bachelors in Science in Neuroscience and Evolutionary Anthropology from the College of Literature, Science and Arts in December 2021.
Khush joined WISE RP as a first-year member during the 2018-2019 academic year. As a student, she was involved on campus as the External Director of Dil Se (South Asian Mental Health organization), as an Executive Board member of her sorority (Gamma Phi Beta), and as the Director of Human Practices for the Michigan Synthetic Biology Team (MSBT). She also worked as a student docent at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.
During her undergraduate studies, she began her research career as a UROP student in the Akil lab investigating neuronal cell-type activation patterns in response to acute and chronic stress. She was also a Research Assistant in Bielas Lab exploring the role of RING1 mutations in cycle dynamics and cell differentiation in neural development. Upon graduation, she worked as a medical scribe and as a QC technician at NeuMoDX Molecular (QIAGEN). In her free time, Khush enjoys knitting, baking, reading, and watching reruns of Criminal Minds and Bones.
Juatia Samuel graduated from the University of Michigan College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Operations Engineering in 2012. While attending UofM, Juatia served as a mentor for Supporting Incoming Black Students (SIBS), treasurer and president of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Gamma Delta Chapter and was a member of the Michigan Student Assembly and National Society of Black Engineers. Juatia also served on the program board and as a program assistant for WISE RP. Juatia went on to earn her Master of Science in Engineering Management from the University of Michigan – Dearborn, in 2019.
Juatia worked as an industrial engineer consultant for two years before joining Ford Motor Company as an industrial engineer. During her career at Ford, she worked as an industrial engineer and process engineer launching new powertrain programs in the Midwest and Mexico. Juatia currently works in tech as a manufacturing design engineer delivering new apps to manufacturing teams. Juatia actively participates in the Women of Ford employee resource group and is a member of the Ford African-Ancestry Network. When not working, Juatia enjoys spending time with her daughter, family and friends, traveling and learning new mindfulness practices!
Emily Schiller is a fourth-year medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey. She had a nontraditional path to medical school, and enjoys finding ways to bridge her interests in medicine and social science.
At Michigan, she majored in History with an interest in medical history and Afroamerican studies. Outside of classes, she was involved in GlobeMed, Alternative Weekends, and teaching U-MOVE fitness classes. After college, she worked in genomics research at the National Institutes of Health, including several other research positions.
Emily was a community member of the WISE RP, a program board member, and an organizer/coach of the WISE RP IM tennis team. She was a recipient of the WISE RP Summer Research Fellowship the first year it was offered.
Emma Schmidt (she/her) is a first-generation college student that received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health Sciences and minor in Gender and Health from UofM in 2020. She also completed her Master of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education from UofM in 2022. She joined WISE RP as a first-year student in 2016, and continued on to serve as a peer mentor, study group leader, and summer research scholar. Most recently, Emma worked as the Graduate Student Instructor for WISE RP from 2020-2022. As an undergraduate, Emma was involved in UROP, Wolverine Wellness, Alternative Spring Break, and volunteered as a birth doula.
Emma currently works as Training Coordinator for Equity and Cultural Competency at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. She also works as the Program Coordinator for Dial-a-Doula at Michigan Medicine. Prior to her current jobs, Emma has worked as a Wellness Coach, been involved in a multitude of public health research,
held a variety of roles at community-based nonprofit organizations. As a public health professional and advocate, Emma's work is centered around health equity and social justice. Her goal is to utilize her own power and privileges to dismantle systems of oppression. In her free time, Emma likes to garden, throw pottery, bake, read, and spend time with her cat.
Dr. Sita M. Syal is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on studying human influence and embedding equity in sustainable energy and transportation systems. She uses human-centered design methods, builds quantitative models, and engages with communities to co-create a more just and sustainable and just future.
Prior to graduate school, Dr. Syal worked offshore as an engineer on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico for BP America. She holds a PhD. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Design from Stanford University. A proud Wolverine alumna, she holds an M.Eng. in Energy Systems Engineering and B.S.E in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. When she was at Michigan, she spent two years in WISE RP and was involved in BLUElab and Groove. Enjoying her time living back in Ann Arbor, Dr. Syal loves to travel, run, play her violin, and spend time with her family.
Angelica Tome is a graduate student at UMSI studying Human-Computer Interaction. She came across this field of work early on and decided to pursue a master's degree. Angelica is passionate about merging human-centered design, specifically for underrepresented communities, into technologies that often do not create it with them in mind.
Angelica is working towards a Product Design role, is currently searching for jobs in this market, and is hopeful for great opportunities to come!
Angelica is a WISE RP alumni from the 2017-2018 cohort and became a mentor for three young ladies in the 2018-2019 cohort! She credits WISE RP for helping her to build many relationships with other WISE RP members and has long-lasting friendships from her first-year experience!
Tyler Washington is currently a Luxury Design Engineer in the Innovation Department for LEAR Corporation.
Tyler was a member of the WISE RP class of 2017. She spent some time as an undergraduate research assistant through the UROP program, researching Mechanical Ultrasound for Tissue Regeneration Applications. She was awarded a blue ribbon for her research at the 2018 UROP symposium. She interned at LEAR Corporation in 2019 as a software engineer. She then joined MedLaunch which is a UofM club that designs products and processes for people with disabilities. She acted as a general member for one year then moved to project manager and operated in that role for 2 years. She interned for Stryker as a product design engineer in 2021. She then graduated in 2022 from the University of Michigan College of Engineering with BSE in Mechanical Engineering.
Casey Wong graduated in 2020 with a degree in Computer Science. During her time at Michigan, she was a member of WISE RP for 2 years and served as a peer mentor, study group leader, and a member of the WISE RP recruitment team. She was also involved in the Society of Women Engineers for all 4 years, serving as the Outreach Director and later, President of the organization.
Casey now works as a software development engineer at Amazon on the AWS QuickSight team in Seattle, Washington.
