Student Spotlight:
Kyle Airis

Featured in this week’s student spotlight is senior civil engineering student Kyle Airis. Kyle is one of many students who transfer from community colleges to complete their degree at Washington State University.

What made you decide to attend WSU?

Washington State University has a small-town feel, big school spirit, and offers a true sense of community.

The school was the right size for me; I could immediately tell that the faculty were passionate for the students.

Designing structures and creating innovative solutions that benefit people in society and survive natural disasters really excites me, and WSU provided resources and opportunities that helped me explore my interests. Majoring in Civil Engineering is the conduit that will help me pursue a future where I can play a part in modernizing and improving our future infrastructure.

What have you learned during your time at WSU that will help you most in your future?

Being at WSU has taught me how to pursue my goals, be a team player, and seek opportunities in growing professionally.

I’ve learned that complex problems can be solvable with the right team, mentorship, and a few pages of engineering paper. From my experience with faculty and students, the phrase, “Cougs Help Cougs,” has been evident in my day-to-day interactions and has helped me grow as a person. I see my classmates as teammates—my professors as coaches, and I am grateful that we look out for one another and keep each other engaged. The experience I gained by working in collaboration is one of the keys to success that I feel with help me most in my career.

Favorite class?

I’d like to give a shout out to Dr. David Pollock, my professor for Structural Design Loads and Load Paths. I really appreciate all of the work and effort he put into the class, the structural engineering knowledge and technical expertise that he imparted, and his passion for teaching future engineers. Also, he always wore a different tie each day to class, which kept things fun and interesting.

What did you do last summer?

I had the chance to intern with WSP USA Inc. this past summer. I was an intern in the Bridge Group and was involved with the West Seattle Bridge and East Link projects. This experience allowed me to accelerate my knowledge in the field, think about creative solutions, and build professional relationships. My internship was also a lot of fun and I enjoyed attending team lunches and networking events.