ECE Senior's Path Comes Full Circle

Sehrish Choudhary’s path to engineering began when she was just 10 years old. She saw the movie “Iron Man” and dreamt of bringing the movie’s technologies, like interactable holograms, to life. But she was also fascinated by airplanes, which she calls “the best engineering invention ever,” and by cars, which transport so many people every day.

“As a first generation American, I was taught the importance of hard work, perseverance, and being assertive about my future,” said Choudhary, who came to the University of Arizona to pursue a degree in electrical and computer engineering with a minor in economics.

She dove into her college experience by completing internships at companies like Honeywell Aerospace and Lockheed Martin, where she had a chance to work on software used in airplanes and helicopters. Choudhary is also president of the Engineering Student Council, has mentored more than a dozen first-year engineering students through the Engineering Peer Mentors Program, and is a member of the Society of Women Engineers. She says her time in the ECE program and all of the experience she’s picked up during college have set her up for success.

“The University of Arizona’s ECE program provided the perfect blend of software and hardware courses, so I can work in aerospace, automotive and technology industries as I have always wanted,” she said. “This program has enabled me to go out into the world and make it a better place with the technological inventions and solutions I work on.”

At Craig M. Berge Design Day 2022, Choudhary and her teammates won the $1,500 II-VI Aerospace & Defense Award for Best Optical Systems Design for a hyperspectral camera they developed. Choudhary said she’s always wanted to build a camera, and that the project also provided the perfect opportunity to practice working on a team of multidisciplinary engineers.

It’s experience she’ll carry forward as she begins a position as a software engineer with General Motors this summer. She’s looking forward to working on turning her dream car into a reality, and on coming full circle with one of her childhood interests.