{"id":8113,"date":"2025-01-23T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/?p=8113"},"modified":"2026-03-30T13:29:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T20:29:26","slug":"student-spotlight-justin-allen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/2025\/01\/23\/student-spotlight-justin-allen\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Spotlight: Justin Allen"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"breadcrumbs\" typeof=\"BreadcrumbList\" vocab=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/\">\r\n\t<!-- Breadcrumb NavXT 7.2.0 -->\n<span property=\"itemListElement\" typeof=\"ListItem\"><a property=\"item\" typeof=\"WebPage\" title=\"Go to Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.\" href=\"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/\" class=\"main-home\" ><span property=\"name\">Voiland College<\/span><\/a><meta property=\"position\" content=\"1\"><\/span><span property=\"itemListElement\" typeof=\"ListItem\"><a property=\"item\" typeof=\"WebPage\" title=\"Go to Voiland College Student Success.\" href=\"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\" class=\"home\" aria-current=\"page\"><span property=\"name\">Voiland College Student Success<\/span><\/a><meta property=\"position\" content=\"2\"><\/span><\/div><header class=\"wsu-article-header \">\r\n\t<h1 class=\"wsu-article-header__title\">\r\n\t\tStudent Spotlight: <br>Justin Allen\t<\/h1>\r\n\t\t<\/header>\r\n\n\n\n<p>What makes Washington State University&#8217;s Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture stand out from the crowd for those looking to get a degree?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We ask mechanical engineering major Justin Allen for his thoughts on what makes WSU such a special place.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\" wsu-overlap wsu-spacing-after--xxmedium\">\r\n\t<div class=\"wsu-overlap__container\">\r\n\t\t\n<div class=\" wsu-overlap__column\">\r\n    <div class=\"wsu-overlap__column-inner\">\r\n        \n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full  wsu-image--style-framed\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1923\" height=\"3276\" src=\"https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/wp-vcea\/uploads\/sites\/3466\/2025\/01\/Justin_Allen_photo.png\" alt=\"Justin Allen.\" class=\"wp-image-8204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/wp-vcea\/uploads\/sites\/3466\/2025\/01\/Justin_Allen_photo.png 1923w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/wp-vcea\/uploads\/sites\/3466\/2025\/01\/Justin_Allen_photo-396x675.png 396w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/wp-vcea\/uploads\/sites\/3466\/2025\/01\/Justin_Allen_photo-792x1349.png 792w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/wp-vcea\/uploads\/sites\/3466\/2025\/01\/Justin_Allen_photo-768x1308.png 768w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/wp-vcea\/uploads\/sites\/3466\/2025\/01\/Justin_Allen_photo-902x1536.png 902w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/wp-vcea\/uploads\/sites\/3466\/2025\/01\/Justin_Allen_photo-1202x2048.png 1202w, https:\/\/wpcdn.web.wsu.edu\/wp-vcea\/uploads\/sites\/3466\/2025\/01\/Justin_Allen_photo-116x198.png 116w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1923px) 100vw, 1923px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n<div class=\" wsu-overlap__column  wsu-overlap--surface-column wsu-overlap--overlap-xxmedium\">\r\n    <div class=\"wsu-overlap__column-inner\">\r\n        \n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer wsu-hide--tablet\"><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wsu-container wsu-dropshadow--medium wsu-color-background--white wsu-spacing-top--xmedium wsu-spacing-padding-right--xmedium wsu-spacing-padding-left--xmedium wsu-spacing-bottom--sxxsmall\" >\r\n    \n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Major: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/degrees.wsu.edu\/degree\/mechanical-engineering\/\">Mechanical Engineering<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expected Date of Graduation:<\/strong> May 2026<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Highschool<\/strong>: Auburn High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scholarship:<\/strong> Madison &amp; Virginia Oliver Endowment Scholarship<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n\t<\/div> \r\n<\/div>\r\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading wsu-font-size--large\">What made you decide to attend WSU?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I chose to transfer to Washington State University primarily because they are one of the few universities in Washington to offer an ABET-accredited Mechanical Engineering program. As for my major, I decided on Mechanical Engineering due to my passion for hands-on problem-solving, which was sparked by my experience with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstinspires.org\/\">FIRST Robotics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading wsu-font-size--large\">What advice do you have for fellow or prospective students? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For engineering students, I highly encourage you to join a club or participate in research. It allows you to apply the knowledge learned in the classroom, develop practical skills, and gain experience in collaborative environments and teamwork. Any hands-on involvement will set you apart and better prepare you for your career. You&#8217;ll apply the knowledge learned in class sooner, making you a stronger engineer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading wsu-font-size--large\">What has been your favorite class or program that you have been involved in at WSU?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>My favorite class at WSU has been System Dynamics (ME 348). I enjoyed learning how to mathematically model a system and explore the fundamentals of control theory. This class provided a strong foundation for understanding complex systems and their behavior, which has been both challenging and rewarding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading wsu-font-size--large\">What clubs are you involved in on campus? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During my undergrad, I was involved with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wazzu_racing\/\">FSAE (Formula SAE<\/a>). This experience allowed me to apply the knowledge I gained in the classroom to real world engineering projects, which was valuable for my professional development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On a personal level, working with a diverse team helped me build important teamwork and communication skills, while also enhancing my problem-solving and adaptability. Overall, my involvement in FSAE was a great way to develop both technical expertise and soft skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading  wsu-font-size--large\">Have you participated in any research projects related to your field of study? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During my senior year of undergrad, I joined the <a href=\"https:\/\/labs.wsu.edu\/miar\/\">MIAR lab<\/a> and worked on a soft robotics project under the guidance of Dr. Luo. This experience inspired me to pursue a PhD, as it reminded me of my time with FIRST Robotics in high school and reignited my passion for robotics. Personally, I find nothing more rewarding than working on projects that allow me to directly apply creative solutions to real-world challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Justin Allen is a mechanical engineering student graduating in May 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44070,"featured_media":8204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[570],"tags":[597],"wsuwp_university_location":[332],"wsuwp_university_org":[504,443],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44070"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8113"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10070,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8113\/revisions\/10070"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8113"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=8113"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vcea.wsu.edu\/student-success\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=8113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}