Ayana Edwards

Ayana Edwards is from Huntersville, NC and majored in Engineering with a minor in Biology. She is interested in biomedical engineering because it combines electrical, mechanical, and materials engineering principles with the natural sciences. Ayana appreciated that Wake Engineering did not require her to declare a discipline early in her undergraduate studies. As a result, she was able to explore various applications of engineering and was given the opportunity to study them more in depth through technical electives. Ayana’s favorite engineering class was EGR 212: Transport Phenomena. She shares, “Not only did I love the content, but it was also the first time that I was learning to use my knowledge of math and physics to quantify the world around me.” She also enjoyed the smaller class size that allowed for her to truly engage with her peers.

Fall semester of her senior year, Ayana worked on the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) project in the joint Virginia Tech-Wake Forest Graduate Engineering Department. The summer of 2020, she interned at WestRock where she led a project to reduce waste in the roll room. She made observations on the floor and interviewed floor workers in effort to find the true cause of the waste. At the end of the internship, she shared her findings with the manager of the plant. Throughout her time at Wake Forest, Ayana studied abroad in Salamanca, Spain and was involved in Campus Garden. Ayana is currently unsure of her post-graduation plans, however, she is exploring graduate school and work opportunities.

AUTHOR: ADELA MORALES-SANTANA