As a child in southeast Florida, Katherine Minielly, McKelvey School of Engineering Class of 2025, loved to take machines apart and put them back together. This innate drive to make sense of how and why things worked eventually brought her to McKelvey. Her exceptional logical, left-brain thinking has helped her thrive both in the school’s mechanical engineering program and at two internships with Dow Inc. But WashU’s interdisciplinary nature has enabled Katherine to explore leadership, spirituality, and even Ireland. We talked with Katherine about what has made her time at WashU more than just an education in engineering.
Tell us about your leadership experience.
I have been involved in Engineering Student Council, or EnCouncil, since my first week at WashU. I ran for first-year representative and won, and I haven’t left since. I’m president now. We’re the governing student body organization for McKelvey, and we work with undergraduate student services. We host a lot of social, academic, and professional programming, like the Cheap Lunch fundraiser and Vertigo, a rave we host in the fall. I’m so proud of the community we’re building.
I’m also the treasurer of oSTEM, which stands for Out in STEM. Last fall, I planned a trip to Portland, Oregon, for our chapter to attend the national conference. We attended a job fair, interviewed for internships, explored the city, and really got to know each other. We also plan a lot of social programming.
What’s something new you’ve experienced recently?
One of the most interesting and engaging things I’ve tried is Interfaith Fellows through the Office of Religious, Spiritual & Ethical Life. I’m not a member of any specific religious group on campus, so I’m fascinated by the opportunity to be in a cohort of people of different faiths and backgrounds and discuss spiritual and ethical issues. When you’re studying engineering, those topics can get lost. I’m so happy I’ve been able to pick up new things, even at this point in my college career, and that I’m still finding ways to broaden my perspectives.
Tell us about your study abroad experience.
In spring 2024, I was lucky enough to study at University College Dublin. With the requirements for an engineering degree, it can be difficult to fit in a semester abroad. I was able to take two engineering classes in Dublin plus two Irish culture classes that took us all around the country on field trips. I even had time to join a couple of on-campus clubs, which helped me make local friends. We went rock climbing, hiking, even swimming in the Irish Sea. Living abroad and experiencing a different culture was such an amazing opportunity, and I’m grateful WashU was able to provide it for me.
What’s next for you?
I graduate in May, but I’m coming back in the fall to finish the dual degree bachelor’s/master’s program. I’ve been planning my coursework with the master’s curriculum in mind, so I should be able to finish in one semester. But in the meantime, I have an internship in Pennsylvania this summer working to build trains and locomotives. I’ve already had internships with Dow in production and in R&D, so I’m really looking forward to this.
Why do you think alumni should support WashU?
Through my involvement on campus, I have gained a better understanding of how much work and expense goes into running a university. When you come in as a first-year, you don’t really understand how anything works. Then you see the resources and opportunities the university is able to provide due to gifts to the Annual Fund: core class support, scholarships, tutoring programs, student union trips, intramurals and club sports, and conferences. All of these experiences make a difference to us now and will keep benefitting us by widening our perspectives and preparing us for entering the larger world.