Engineering undergrad earned national student employee award 2026

Lauren MacKay (left), director of alumni & donor engagement at the College of Engineering & Applied Science, and Braden O'Brien (right) at the 2026 student employee luncheon. Photo Credit: Patrick Campbell

Braden O’Brien, an electrical and computer engineering undergraduate student, landed the prestigious��Student Employee of Year and Technology and Innovation Category Winner 2026 by the�� (��������).��

Each spring, the NSEA chooses the National Student Employee of the Year to recognize outstanding contributions and achievements of students who work while attending college.

O’Brien worked for the College of Engineering and Applied Science Advancement team and was nominated for the Technology & Innovation categor yby Lauren MacKay, director of alumni and donor engagement, with the and worked with Diamond Darling, Jessica Tooker and Rose Adams for exceptional initiative, technical skill and innovative thinking.

“It almost doesn’t feel real and pretty remarkable to be so appreciated for the work I’ve done. I think that at the end of the day, we’re all just people trying our hardest to make it through each day,” said O’Brien. “I apply that philosophy to my work as well and simply make it a point to try every day. I’m overjoyed to have been selected for such a monumental award!”��

From the start, O’Brien identified opportunities to replace inefficient or inconsistent legacy processes with technology-driven solutions which reshaped the team’s approach to reporting and strategic planning.��

One of his most significant contributions was leading the development of a standardized system to track the college’s volunteer engagement. Previously, volunteer data was tracked manually in inconsistent ways, limiting accuracy and long-term usefulness.��

O'Brien worked closely with Data Insights and Data Management teams to troubleshoot issues, test bulk-upload processes and design a sustainable approach to tracking volunteer engagement.��

MacKay describes this work as a unique and forward-thinking contribution that not only improved productivity for the team but also helped pilot processes that were later adopted more broadly.

To support continuity in a student-staffed environment, O’Brien created detailed, user-friendly standard operating procedures that strengthened continuity, consistency and data integrity. Also, he built a dynamic CRM dashboard that turns complex datasets into real-time, actionable insights for colleagues without technical backgrounds.��

MacKay emphasized that he, “does not innovate for innovation’s sake,” but instead builds tools that are accessible, sustainable and genuinely useful to the team’s goals.

Q&A with Braden O’Brien

What were some key accomplishments you were proud of?

In the summer of 2024, our team transitioned customer relationship management systems. During this transition, I was the first and only student on my team ever responsible for completing the team’s annual report. With the transition, the team was looking to develop a way to gather data for the report. I created and documented processes for collecting and analyzing data from the new CRM. This is likely the single project I’m most proud of during my time on my team.

Over the last two summers, I developed a streamlined process for creating donor impact reports for the college’s scholarships. The old process was purely manual and took months of time. In fact, the previous donor relations coordinator on our team called it her longest project of the year. The new process that I developed shortened this process to just a day or two of work for our team.��

What analytical skills did you bring to your projects as an engineer to accomplish your work with the Advancement team?��

The biggest thing I’ve learned through engineering is perspective. Being able to step back and look for different approaches to a problem is very meaningful to not only work but also life.��
On a more concrete note, I’ve primarily gained technological literacy.

As a double major student in electrical & computer engineering and engineering physics, I’ve had extensive experience in things like Boolean logic and programming, which has been especially important in my day-to-day work. Add on my applied math minor in scientific computing and I like to believe I’ve been very well trained for data analysis. In addition, engineering labs have given me experience in project management, which has been invaluable.��

What's next going into your final year at ̽����Ƶ?

I’m interested in pursuing the quantum information science industry! At the moment, I’m planning on taking ̽����Ƶ’s up-and-coming Quantum Forge for my final year. After that, I’ll be moving on into the industry. Odds are I may end up back in school for a master’s in quantum engineering some time down the road.