Student Spotlight - Tinneal Abdulaziz
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I'm Tinneal Abdulaziz (married name) and I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. I graduated from high school in Hawaii in 2006 and moved to Washington in 2008.
Why did you choose EvCC?
I choose EvCC because it was close to home and offered the programs and classes I was interested in. Home was only 10 minutes across the 526 bridge, so my commute was perfect and I could study at the school whenever I wanted.
What did you study at EvCC?
I studied Pre-Engineering, which gave me many transfer options after graduation. I earned the associate of science transfer degree in pre-engineering at EvCC in 2015. I transferred to WSU-Everett. Having a program like theirs that was so close to home made the transition very easy. The first year at WSU-Everett I had to take a combination of WSU and EvCC taught classes, so having both campuses on top of each other made the commute simple. I earned my Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering at WSU-Everett in 2017.
What interested you about engineering and EvCC's engineering program?
I’ve always been interested in science and math, and a couple of my instructors pushed me to try engineering. I heard nothing but positive things about their program and the instructors that taught their classes.
Engineering allowed me to use my interests in science and math to solve problems and create new things. EvCC’s engineering instructors were always there to help you if you needed help and were very knowledgeable.
What skills did you learn at EvCC?
EvCC helped me improve my analytical and logistical skills by teaching me engineering fundamentals. Projects helped me improve my leadership skills by working as part of a team.
Members of EvCC's Society of Women Engineers at a 2016 regional conference in Seattle. From left: Erin Crum, Tinneal, Mariah Harvey, LaRei Branham.
How have these skills helped you to reach your professional goals?
I work in a team of about 12, but my core group has more than 80 people, so working in a team is very important in my profession. I use analysis in my daily work, and I feel that’s a skill you always improve on in your professional career.
Tell me about your job at Boeing.
Right now I work in Weights Engineering as a 777X Weight Controller for interiors. My team focuses on weight efficiency for the interiors of the program and weight calculations for each commodity. Update March 2018: Tinneal now works as a Payloads Design Engineer at Boeing.
Tinneal with instructor Joe Graber during a visit to an EvCC engineering class.
Describe the best experience you had at EvCC.
The best experience I had were the projects. I worked on a few design projects in Engineering 121 and had so much fun inventing something new, testing and troubleshooting the problems. In my Engineering Design class I worked on a Personal Weather Station and a Fire Fighting Robot. In my Engineering Physics class I had built a stirling engine out of a paint can.
I was also the Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers and helped coordinate the annual Dinner with Industry, which is a really fun and engaging network experience to connect students to professionals and mentors.
What advice do you have for new students?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, build your network, and join a club! Asking questions is a part of engineering and understanding your project, I still do it when I’m working, and it helps build good relationships with experts and other people with lots of experience and knowledge. Build your network - these relationships can open doors to your career and can introduce you to many people.
Joining a club is the first step to networking. The Society of Women Engineers hosts their annual Dinner with Industry which can reel in over 80 professional engineers of all experience levels to share their wisdom in working in their field or at their company. Take advantage of these events and opportunities at school will help you get noticed.
Would you recommend EvCC's engineering program to others? Why?
I would definitely recommend EvCC’s engineering program because the engineering/STEM faculty is incredibly supportive in your personal and professional goals.