Student Spotlight: Owen Wilson

What makes Washington State University’s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture stand out from the crowd for those looking to get a degree?

We ask mechanical engineering major Owen Wilson for his thoughts on what makes WSU such a special place.

Q: What activities are you involved with at Washington State University?

A: I am a Voiland Peer Mentor. I help incoming students transition from high school to college life.

Being a mentor requires compassion and understanding and I support them as best as I can. I have helped 10 students so far and have absolutely loved my time as a mentor.

Q: What advice do you have for fellow or prospective students?

A: Engineering is often challenging, so it requires energy and focus to be successful. My advice is to always get three healthy meals a day, lots of water, and plenty of sleep. Having these basics mastered will allow you to be more productive with your time, and to feel good and enjoy what you are learning.

Q: Have you participated in any internships while at WSU?

A: I currently work for Avista Utilities as a Student Engineering Technician in the Distribution Standards Department.

The main project I completed in 2023 was curating a report on the health and performance of the entire distribution side of the power grid that covers much of The Inland Northwest.

A utility is an extremely complicated business, and I have been exposed to many facets of the energy grid like Generation, Transmission, Distribution, and Protection and Controls. All this experience has been invaluable in my pursuit of understanding and benefiting the renewable energy transition.

Q: What do you want to do with your degree after you graduate?

A: My dream career is to work with a team of engineers to help effectively integrate renewable energy into the power grid by making it more reliable and efficient.