Momentum Alumni Magazine

John Colton, a senior electrical engineering student, knows firsthand the fruits of integrating these virtues into his engineering studies, his musical avocation, and his service at the altar.

Sophomore Gianna Frasher practices in the welding lab, though such technical skills won’t likely be a part of her day-to-day work as an electrical engineer. At Mary, students embrace what Hamm School of Engineering Dean Terry Pilling calls, “the divine calling to serve and place gifts at the disposal of the community as a servant leader.” Degrees programs don’t just provide job credentials; they are mechanisms through which students discover their vocations.

Frasher embraces the collaboration that’s essential to an engineer’s vocation. Technical skills learned from expert faculty are crucial—but Mary engineers explore the whole of human experience. Our faculty and students ponder the relationship between faith and reason, the unity of the cosmos, and human dignity and flourishing.

A member of the UMary Late Show band, Colton understands the foundational concept of interdisciplinarity. Learning to love what’s shared between other disciplines and engineering is central to cultivating a meaningful life as an engineer.

College is a time to explore wide-ranging pursuits. For Frasher, one such pursuit is her participation in track and field and cross country for the Marauders. Engineers are called to bring clear thinking and detailed reasoning to all disciplines, including sports.

Engineers are also called to be mediators between science, technology, and the human soul. A regular altar server for campus Mass as well as a member of the Fraternity of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati, Colton understands this essential relationship.

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded.” Grateful for the gift of her faith, Frasher chooses to share it with her friends and peers in a FOCUS Bible study.

A heart of service and discernment governs the engineer’s vocation. They must determine how advances in technology can be used to help people and lead them toward the common good. They must ask, “Why?” in addition to “How?”. Engineers formed in this way change the world for the better. Photos by Mike McCleary