National Engineers Week

“What makes engineering so rewarding is to be able to impact the world and create change. I want to help people through engineering”

SPEAKING FROM THE HEART : HAZELYNN KHOO, UC ‘19

Hazelynn Khoo, a mechanical engineering undergraduate student at a UC, grew up with heart issues that flared up every so often. In high school, she wore a bulky heart monitor that came with a fanny pack and obtrusive wires. When the heart issue resurfaced last November, Khoo returned to the doctor’s office for a new monitor. 

“I was amazed. The monitor was a four-inch sticker that I could leave on in the shower. It reminded me that engineers make change possible,” recalled Khoo, now a senior. “The engineer inside of me wondered how someone could put all of this technology into a device the size of a sticker.”

Khoo discovered the engineer inside of her while taking a design course her freshman year. Prior to taking the class, the Bay Area native had contemplated switching her major to computer science.

“I found my passion as a mechanical engineer that quarter,” she said. “I lost track of time in the computer aided design (CAD) lab and learned everything I could about 3D modeling and design. To be able to create something I could hold and touch at the end of the process was super rewarding.”

Khoo became active in clubs in her sophomore year, joining the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Currently, the internal vice president of SWE and treasurer for ASME, she credits the clubs for the internships she landed at IKA Works, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Imerys.

“There are not many women in engineering classes, so to expand my support network proved invaluable. The clubs gave me a different perspective and introduced me to another supportive community,” she said.  

Looking back at her four years at a UC, Khoo said the campus’s collaborative spirt and world-renowned faculty have prepared her for a successful career as an engineer.  

“UCs have a fantastic reputation around the country. When I go to national conferences and say I’m from UC Santa Barbara, those words carry a lot of prestige,” said Khoo. “UCs are renowned for serving as research institutions with state-of-the-art facilities. Students learn from amazing faculty and researchers who are world leaders in their fields. To be able to ask them advice or to write a letter of recommendation is a big deal.”

Khoo, whose father and older brother are also engineers, will graduate with a mechanical engineering degree in spring 2019. She plans to enroll in graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in mechanical engineering next fall. Ultimately, she wants to work in the biomedical industry with a focus on cardiovascular devices such as heart monitors and pacemakers.

“With enthusiasm for what lies ahead, she says, “What makes engineering so rewarding is to be able to impact the world and create change. I want to help people through engineering.”