Loyola University Maryland: Expected Graduation May 2024
Hello! I am Gabbie MacNeil, class of 2024, Loyola University Maryland. I entered Loyola passionate about engineering and the opportunity to create accessible technologies. During my sophomore year, I developed an interest in linear circuit analysis and could efficiently conceptualize how the circuits worked. My computer engineering professor, Dr. Hoe, noticed my aptitude in the field and recommended that I major in Computer Engineering with a concentration in Electrical Engineering. And so began my journey into the world of computer and electrical engineering.
During my junior year, I was selected by the professors in the Engineering Department to represent the class of 2024 and become a lifelong member of the Loyola Engineering Industry Advisory Board. This commitment allows me to meet with industry leaders in engineering who attend the senior design capstone meetings to assess and provide feedback on each capstone project over the school year. As the class of 2024 representative, I have the privilege of talking with these esteemed professionals about their careers, hearing their assessments of each senior project, and discussing the future of engineering.
As I begin to plan my senior capstone project, I am reflecting on my own life and my personal motivation to help others. In 2018, I became sick after traveling internationally on a service trip. Within weeks, I was paralyzed from the waist down, the etiology of my disorder was a mystery. Clinical studies paired with hundreds of hours of physical therapy and training gave me the chance to walk again. The research interests of others changed my life for the better. I was fortunate to use a GE-O machine during my rehab sessions. From the countless technologies embedded in this one machine, I rebuilt my neurological systems and walked again. My ability to walk is a testament to what can be when the powers of the human body, technology, passion, and perseverance are harnessed and used for good. I want to take what I learned throughout my experiences at different facilities and combine that with the skills I have learned as a computer and electrical engineer to improve assistive and adaptive technology.