Missouri S&T conferred more than 1,000 degrees to graduates May 16-17. A dozen of them spoke with us about their experiences and plans.

Megan Boyll: It is rocket science

Hometown: St. Louis
Degree: Engineering Management
Student activities: Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA), lead mentor for Cornerstone Peers, philanthropy chair for the Panhellenic Council, American Society for Engineering Management, Order of Omega, Spanish Club and Kummer Vanguard Scholars
Internships: Two internships with United Launch Alliance (ULA) in Denver
Plans: Work as a mission integration systems engineer – rocket scientist at ULA 

Megan Boyll grew up hearing about her dad’s experiences as an S&T student and was determined she wanted to take a different path. He talked her into a campus visit just to “rule it out,” and her life changed forever. 

“I said, ‘this is where I wanted to be,” she says. “I am so happy with my decision and wouldn’t change it.”

During an internship with United Launch Alliance in Denver, Boyll discovered how much she enjoys launching rockets, which inspired her to later return for a second internship. After graduating, she will return to ULA again — this time as a mission integration systems engineer, where she will be a rocket scientist.

Jacob Byers: STEM Scholar 

Hometown: New Boston, Missouri
Degree: Computer Engineering
Student activities: Cornerstone Peers mentor, Delta Sigma Phi, officer in the HKN honor society for IEEE, Archery Club, and Trap and Skeet Club
Internships: Three internships at Burns & McDonnell: controls engineering internship, electrical power internship and power systems internship
Plans: Pursue a master’s degree in electrical engineering with a focus on power systems and renewable energy

Every semester, Missouri S&T hosts a large career fair that brings hundreds of employers to campus to discuss career opportunities with students. Every semester since he enrolled, Jacob Byers has attended. He encourages all students to seize the opportunity. 

“Get involved to the best of your ability,” he says. “Get out of your comfort zone.”

Byers, who will graduate with a perfect 4.0 GPA, says he chose S&T because of the university’s stellar reputation for job placement and career success. 

In October, he will travel to San Diego for the 2025 S-STEM Scholars Meeting, funded by a scholarship from the National Science Foundation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Devin Chiaramonti: An inspirational emergency

Hometown: Lombard, Illinois
Degree: Biological Sciences and Pre-med Program
Student activities: Student Union Board, resident assistant, two-week trip to Ecuador to study biodiversity in the Amazon Rainforest
Work experience: Emergency medical technician (EMT)
Plans: Work for a year, then attend medical school

An appendicitis attack changed Devin Chiarmonti’s career path from engineering to health care. When he needed emergency surgery during his first year of college, Chiaramonti was immersed in the hospital setting, from an emergency room visit to emergency surgery to recovery. He admired the professionalism, precision and hands-on care from individuals in various roles. 

He soon changed his major to biological sciences, joined S&T’s Pre-medicine program and became an EMT in the Chicago area where he grew up.

Chiaramonti is also pursuing a double minor — explosives engineering and chemistry. He says the chemistry minor will help him meet his goal of becoming a doctor, and the explosives minor was just for fun – and he was one of eight S&T students to set off fireworks for an audience of 20,000 during Wright City’s Pyromania festival.

“Where else can you find this kind of program?” he says. “People love when I say that I blow stuff up for college credit.”

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Hannah Demster: Making a tangible difference

Hometown: Springfield, Missouri
Degree: Environmental engineering
Student activities: Society of Women Engineers (SWE), EcoMiners and Cornerstone Peers mentor
Internship: Pollution prevention intern for True Manufacturing Inc. in O’Fallon, Missouri
Plans: Work as an associate engineer for the air pollution division at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in Jefferson City, Missouri

As a junior in high school, Hannah Demster attended a lock-in hosted by the Society of Women Engineers at S&T and knew this was the university for her.

“I never wanted to go anywhere else,” she says. 

Now Demster is set to graduate, following a successful college career that included membership in SWE, the organization that introduced her to S&T. 

She will start her engineering career working to decrease air pollution. Just like choosing a college, choosing her major in environmental engineering was also an easy choice.

“I knew I wanted to do something to make a tangible difference,” she says. “After being bombarded with articles about environmental issues, it just clicked for me that this is an area where I can make a tangible difference.” 

Debora Andrade Escobar: A 2,400-mile commute 

Hometown: San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Degree: Computer Science
Student activities: Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), SWE, Association for Computing Machinery (the general group and the women’s group), competed in S&T’s PickHacks hackathon and worked as a health communications assistant at S&T
Plans: Move to St. Louis with her husband, Jack Madison (who is also earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science from S&T), and look for remote work

Debora Andrade Escobar didn’t know what to expect when coming to college in the United States, but she says Missouri S&T has provided a welcoming environment.

“We get weekly updates about international situations,” she says. “It’s very comforting to know that the university has our back.” 

She says she recommends S&T – especially to international students – because there are many opportunities to explore. 

After graduating, she plans to look for remote work, and her dream job is to someday work at Pinterest. She and her husband, Jack Madison, will move to St. Louis, where he will work for Mastercard. 

Morgan Mieger: Manufacturing manager in the making

Hometown: High Ridge, Missouri
Degree: Chemical Engineering
Student activities: American Institute of Chemical Engineers, SWE, Student Advisory Council, teaching assistant and grader for chemical engineering
Internship: Royal Oak Enterprises
Co-op: Supply chain engineering  at ICL in St. Louis
Plans: Work at Nestle Purina in Davenport, Iowa, as an engineering management development associate (MDA). Nestle Purina’s MDA program trains the company’s future leaders. 

Morgan Mieger describes chemical engineering as piecing together several parts of a puzzle.

“I fell in love with scaling up processes and the math we are doing,” she says. 

She earned an associate’s degree in engineering from Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Missouri, and then transferred to Missouri S&T, where she has enjoyed rigorous coursework. 

Last year, she was on an S&T team that placed fifth out of nearly 150 teams in an international competition focused on addressing energy poverty around the globe. 

Mieger discovered her love for manufacturing during an internship for Royal Oak Enterprises, a company that makes charcoal. She is now looking forward to starting her career at Nestle Purina in Davenport, Iowa. 

Abigail Richner: Project manager extraordinaire 

Hometown: Warrensburg, Missouri
Degree: Engineering Management
Student activities: Participated in the NASA-funded Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project and won S&T’s 2025 Micro Grand Challenge
Co-op: Supply chain engineering intern at ICL in St. Louis
Plans: Work as a project manager for Tarlton, a construction management firm, in St. Louis

Abigail Richner is one of the first students who completed all five badges of Missouri S&T’s Badges of Entrepreneurial Excellence program, which began in fall 2024. The badges are: leadership, design and build, research, social responsibility and entrepreneurship. 

The program was created to recognize the achievements of students working beyond the classroom. For Richner, it opened her up to new experiences that she wouldn’t have otherwise explored: she participated in (and won) a challenge, met successful alumni, including a co-inventor of AirDrop and an astronaut, and learned about entrepreneurship. 

“Entrepreneurship and innovation aren’t an all-or-nothing personality trait you either have or don’t — it’s a vast set of skills that you learn to use in so many situations,” she says. “The program gave me more tools to solve problems I may face at various points in my education and career. It connected me to incredible professionals and built my confidence in myself.” 

Anai Sandoval: A family first 

Hometown: Marshall, Missouri
Degree: Computer Engineering
Student activities: President of S&T’s chapter of SHPE, S&T student representative for the University of Missouri System Digital Accessibility Committee, member of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, coordinating secretary for the Gamma Theta chapter of the HKN honor society for IEEE
Internship: Cybersecurity hardware infrastructure intern for Ameren 
Plans: Work as a technology analyst for Accenture Federal Services in St. Louis.

Anai Sandoval’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador to provide a better life for their children. A first-generation college student, Sandoval is also set to become the first female engineer in her family.

“I’m very proud of my Latina heritage,” she says. 

Sandoval started college at State Fair Community College and earned transfer scholarships to attend S&T. She quickly became involved with the SHPE, and served as president of S&T’s chapter. 

Gabrielle Turntine: Building a construction career 

Hometown: Saint Charles, Missouri
Degree: Chemical Engineering
Student activities: Kummer Vanguard Scholars program, ChemE Cube team, Learning Across Academic Disciplines (LEAD) tutor and grader
Internships: Stormwater intern for the City of St. Peters in Missouri, capital projects intern for Sensient and process engineering intern at Clayco Design and Engineering
Plans: Work as a process engineer for Clayco 

Gabrielle Turntine says she is glad she studied chemical engineering. 

“I enjoyed chemistry in high school, but I didn’t want to work in a lab,” she says. 

Following graduation, she is heading to work at Clayco, a construction company. She previously interned there and looks forward to returning. 

S&T’s career opportunities and employer relations (COER) department offers students like Turntine many resources for landing internships and full-time employment. 

“The university is very good at providing career help,” she says. “I used COER a lot.”

Sydni Wietfeld: Bridging engineering and life sciences

Hometown: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Degree: Chemical Engineering
Student activities: ZTA, Panhellenic Council, Kummber Vanguard Scholar,Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, women’s club volleyball and worked for student involvement
Internships: Quality engineering intern for SkyWater Technology in Minneapolis, process engineering intern for POET in Sioux Falls, engineering intern at Showplace Cabinetry in Harrisburg, South Dakota
Plans: Complete an internship for CRB Group, a consulting business for life sciences

Raised in South Dakota, Sydni Wietfeld first heard about Missouri S&T from a coach. Looking into the university, she discovered strong academic programs. She was accepted into the Kummer Vanguard Scholars program, which provides scholarship funding for STEM students. 

“I chose chemical engineering because of the opportunities in medical sciences,” she says. 

Following graduation, she will perform a process and mechanical engineering internship for a life sciences company, CRB Group, in Kansas City. 

Wietfeld says she has received wonderful support from the faculty and staff in the Linda and Bipin Doshi Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, including Dr. Christi Luks, teaching professor; Dr. Joseph Smith, professor; Dr. Keith Tomazi, associate teaching professor, and Kevin Walkup, an academic advisor.  

Tyke Wells: Two degrees in five years   

Hometown: Branson, Missouri
Degree: Aerospace engineering
Student activities: Offensive line for the Miners football team, Missouri S&T Satellite Team (M-SAT) and worked summers at the university, including jobs in landscaping services and at the Student Recreation Center
Plans: Complete a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at S&T through the Grad Track Pathway program

Tyke Wells is on track to complete his master’s degree and play a final season of football for the S&T Miners next year. 

“I chose S&T because of its aerospace engineering program, overall cost, proximity of the campus to my hometown, the academic scholarships and opportunities, and because I was able to play football here,” he says. “I did have other choices for football, but I had asked myself where I would want to be if I ended up being unable to play football and which college would prepare me best for the career I want.”

When Wells walks across the graduation stage for a second time next year, he will have earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both in aerospace engineering, from Missouri S&T in only five years. 

Sam Wright: Shooting for excellence

Hometown: Hillsboro, Missouri
Degree: Business and Management Systems
Student activities: Miners track team and Kappa Alpha, president of S&T’s photography club and has been S&T’s student photographer since August 2023
Plans: Work as a photography intern at Rocket Mortgage in Detroit this summer

Sam Wright says he first caught the photography bug on a class trip to Costa Rica after his first year of college. 

He then got a job as a student photographer with Miner Athletics, taking photos of various home games. That’s how he met Michael Pierce, a professional photographer who works at S&T. In 2023, Wright became S&T’s student photographer, gaining valuable experience with photography and marketing skills.

Wright hopes to use his education and skills to open his own creative production company, most likely in St. Louis. 

“My dad owns a business, so I’ve always been in that realm and had that entrepreneur mindset,” Wright says. “And in business management systems, I learned that tech-focus with business, which was right up my alley.”

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