Redefining Success

Gone is the time when academic achievement was the only criterion for student success. In the era that celebrates people as being-in-the-world with their uniqueness, togetherness and connections, contributions to a larger good have become a new norm that goes hand-to-hand with scholastic pursuits and the love of learning.

This mindset shined vibrantly during the 2021-2022 John and Horace Dodge Engineering Awards presentation, bringing to light compassion, generosity and a new definition of success that Oakland University’s (OU’s) brightest students have demonstrated throughout their educational journeys.

Every year since 1972, The School of Engineering and Computer Science (SECS) has been honoring four students with the Exceptional Achievement, Academic Achievement, Professional Development, and Service awards. In 2022, however, the faculty selected seven graduates for this recognition. 

“Despite all of the challenges and adjustments brought by the recent pandemic, in the 2021-2022 academic year, SECS graduated more than 560 engineers and computer scientists, of which eight achieved a GPA of 4.0 and 39 earned a GPA of 3.9. Never before in our history have we had so many high-achieving students, who also positively contributed to our Oakland community and beyond. This speaks volumes about the quality of students we have at OU,” says SECS Dean Louay Chamra.

With their GPAs ranging from 3.94 to 4.0, Alexander Tyshka, Andrew Dimmer, Zachary Failla, Connor Goetz, Zachary Rollis, Amanda Wewer and Ingrid Peterson are certainly among some of the most accomplished SECS graduates.

2021-2022 Dodge Engineering Awards Recipients (left to right): Alexander Tyshka, Zachary Failla, Amanda Wewer, Dean Louay M. Chamra, Connor Goetz, Andrew Dimmer, Zachary Rollis (Not pictured Ingrid Peterson)

Tyshka was named the recipient of the Exceptional Achievement award for reaching the highest level of academic excellence. Dimmer, Failla and Goetz received the Award for Academic Achievement, which is given for an outstanding level of academic success. Wewer and Peterson were honored with the Award for Service, which recognizes remarkable service that has  significantly impacted the school. Having demonstrated the greatest technical development in his studies and an outstanding measure of individual initiative in connection with a project, Rollis was presented with the Award for Professional Development, as well as the new Student Impact Award, given to an individual who made the greatest impact on SECS students during the previous academic year.

Their academic excellence, however, is just one factor that seven students have in common: their passion for what they do and a desire to share their gifts with those around them are consistently at the very top of their most admirable success.

Graduating with a GPA of 4.0 in computer engineering, Oakland University Honors Thesis Award winner, Alexander Tyshka, chose to use his skills to help those who are facing everyday challenges. He developed socially assistive robots that provide applied behavior analysis therapies to children with autism spectrum disorder, interview training for autism-affected adults, and fall-prevention exercises and therapy for the elderly. His contribution to his field received immediate attention. Tyshka is the first author of a paper for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication. In addition, he is a co -author of a journal paper for Robotics and Automation Letters and the IEEE/RSJ Intelligent Robots and Systems conference.

Having acquired a 4.0 GPA while majoring in computer science, another Honors College student, Andrew Dimmer, graduated with more credits than any other 4.0 graduate. Yet, his own academic pursuits were not his only priority as he consistently showed care for success of his classmates, offering helpful comments and tutorials during and after their classes. Passionate about Hackathons, Dimmer was one of the ambitious leaders of the GrizzHacks student organization helping make OU’s GrizzHacks one of the largest events in South East Michigan. During the pandemic lockdown, he again offered his skills and knowledge to others by creating a short tutorial for the SECS Advisory Board members once their quarterly, in-person meetings were moved online.  

“Success, to me, is about seeking out and taking advantage of opportunities, no matter where they might appear. Sometimes the smallest moments can result in a big difference for both you and those around you," Dimmer states.

Zachary Failla, a 4.0 GPA Honors College and mechanical engineering graduate, applied his knowledge to make the world a better place. As part of the team that started the new OU student chapter of The Engineers for a Sustainable World, he helped forge new pathways toward a sustainable, thriving and inclusive world. Through his involvements with the Oakland University Chapter of Golden Key International Honor Society, the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Failla served as a mentor to many students, as he helped them gracefully navigate various challenges on their path to success.

“In my mind, success is a moving target. I believe that striving for personal success can inspire those around you, which can result in [the] collective elevation of performance and increased efficiency for the project and the team,” Failla says.

While he attended OU, one of Connor Goetz’s accomplishments was the creation of a custom, 16-bit microprocessor, which has extensive additions, compared to the one that was taught in class.  Most importantly, however, the computer engineering major, who graduated with a GPA of 4.0, believes that his success is in what he does for others.

“Success is measured by the ability to change lives beyond your own for the better, and by the impact that you have on those you encounter,” Goetz states.

Following this motto, he used his skills to create a solution directed toward a larger good. He designed an emergency response system for colleges and high schools, complete with radio-frequency-identification-enabled student IDs, a touchscreen interface connected to a microcontroller to report emergencies and an administrative PC program that enrolls students and records emergency information.

With a high GPA of 3.94, Zachary Rollis is one of SECS’s top-ranking mechanical engineering students and a founder of OU’s Engineers for a Sustainable World. Together with his faculty advisor and other members of this chapter, he helped launch a Solar Charging Station project and co-hosted a campus event with the chief sustainability officer at General Motors. As part of the 2021 DTE E-Challenge team, Rollis made important contributions to OU's winning submission, which he further supported with research in Energy Recovery Ventilation. In addition, Rollis coordinated a number of outreach and volunteer activities, such as community clean-up events in Auburn Hills, Lake Orion and Pontiac.

“Personally, I have always defined success as a measure of the positive impact one is able to have on others. This idea has guided my decision-making process throughout my career, allowing me to put myself in the best position possible to have the greatest impact on the greatest number of people,” Rollis shares.

Amanda Wewer graduated with a dual major in bioengineering and Spanish, maintaining a near perfect GPA. Passionate about the medical application of her knowledge, she showed excellent capacity for research investigating 3D-printed prosthetic heart valves. Despite the rigors of being a full-time student, Wewer never stopped paying forward through MEDLIFE, Pre-Medical Society and the Emerging Leaders Program. She organized fundraisers to help low-income families cope with the challenges of COVID-19 and traveled internationally to volunteer on Mobile Clinics and development projects in low-income communities.

Ingrid Peterson earned a 3.94 GPA pursuing bioengineering, while also serving as the president of Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) — a flagship student organization for Bioengineering and Allied Health students. Since EMBS is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, Peterson’s primary goal became the application of her gifts for a common good. Under her leadership, the Oakland Chapter regularly organized events to promote student recruitment by hosting luncheon seminars on a monthly basis, which featured guest speakers from both corporations and academics.

“To me, success is working toward something that is meaningful to you, and, once you are there, you can expand your goal to make a bigger impact than you have previously thought possible,” Peterson explains.

Without a doubt, through their everyday actions, SECS’s most accomplished graduates have made it clear: individual achievements and experiences truly indicate success only when they are connected within a broader world — a mindset that Oakland University nurtures in its students.