EE/ECE Alumni Series: Lauren Pham

Grad Year: 2021

Focus: Communications and Digital Signal Processing

Company and Role: Quality Engineer and Continuous Improvement Lead at Stryker Communications

What inspired or led you to study Electrical/Computer Engineering? I really loved wires! I originally entered college undecided engineering, wanting to find a niche that I found interesting. After my first year, I fell in love with the combination of software and hardware that ECE provided in curriculum.

What is one thing you love about your job/career choice? I really love working in the medical field and in operations. In a biomedical company, I can see that our customers are in healthcare and ultimately affect people during some of the most important times of their lives. It’s amazing to be able to support doctor and health care professionals every day and helps drive mission. In operations, I’m given the opportunity to interact with operators every day and help improve their workflow. For me, developing relationships with other people is very important and my job gives me an great opportunity to do so!

What is your favorite memory at Ohio State, engineering related or not? I fell in love with engineering and Ohio State during our freshman honors robotics competition! As a part of our spring semester class, we spent the whole time building a robot to compete in competition. It was a great mix of energy and engineering and it made me fall in love with the school.

What advice do you have for Ohio State students and new grads? Find good mentors! In the industry and in school, find people that you look up to and develop relationships with them. Whether it’s an upper classmen, professor, or coworker, they can help you develop personally and professionally and can offer advice. I’ve been able to grow a lot by having mentors and other people in my life challenge me and be an advocate for me.