On June 12, ME held its 2022 graduation celebration in Meany Hall – the first in-person ceremony since 2019. This year ME awarded nearly 170 bachelor’s, 130 master’s and 30 doctoral degrees.

Students and faculty at the 2022 graduation ceremony.

Thank you to this year’s graduation speaker, BILLY Footwear co-founder Billy Price, BSME ’02, who shared his story of resilience in the face of adversity. During his freshman year at the UW, Price sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury and paralysis from the chest down. Instantly, his life changed, but he relearned everyday tasks and came up with solutions to challenges he faced. He re-entered the UW, completed his ME degree, began working for the Federal Aviation Administration and started a growing shoe company that embodies universal design.

Event attendees also heard from speakers including ME Chair and PACCAR Endowed Professor Alberto Aliseda, Lily Vu (‘22 BSME), Samantha Hoang (‘22 PhD), and ME Professor John Kramlich. Corey Clay, ME’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer presented students with undergraduate and graduate awards.

Top left: ME Chair and PACCAR Endowed Professor Alberto Aliseda. Top right: The 2022 graduation speaker was BILLY Footwear co-founder Billy Price, BSME ’02. Bottom left: Graduate student speaker Samantha Hoang (‘22 PhD). Bottom right: Undergraduate student speaker Lily Vu (‘22 BSME).

2022 student awards

Undergraduate Awards

• Outstanding Academic Award: Ben Streck
• Outstanding Research Award: Zahra McKee
• Student Ambassador Award: Melissa Peters
• Outstanding Design Award: Michael Malone, Manny Pacheco, Liam Macaulay Sullivan, Joelle Tudor, Austin Higgs
• The Social Justice Award 2022: Julia Li Tanner 

Graduate Awards

• Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Dissertation Award: Melanie Anderson 
• Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Thesis Award: Kaan Fero
• Mechanical Engineering Excellent Project Award: Jonathan Thiem
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award: Yoshua Gombo
• Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award: Kathleen Kearney
• The Social Justice Award 2022: Lynda Brady