College selections are a household affair, with youthful siblings typically following in their older siblings’ footsteps.
Four units of siblings at Arizona State University have taken it to a brand new stage, selecting not solely to all be part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering however to pursue the identical main: manufacturing engineering in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks.
Manufacturing engineering shapes how concepts transfer from design to manufacturing — and what connects these siblings is not only the identical profession purpose, however a shared love for constructing, troubleshooting and making methods work.
Get to know these sibling pairs who’re constructing technical expertise whereas sharing mentors, labs and even automobile rides.
The Echegaray sisters: Choosing a spotlight and constructing a pathway
For Lexana and Jenavieve Echegaray, the journey to manufacturing engineering started with early publicity to the sector.
Prior to varsity, each of the Echegaray sisters attended Tucson’s Desert View High School, the place they constructed a robust technical basis. There, they participated in the iSTEM Academy and Precision Manufacturing program, fulfilling actual buyer half requests utilizing SolidWorks, computer-aided design, or CAD, and computer-aided manufacturing, or CAM. Through this system, they constructed a technical basis that continues to help their success in engineering at this time.
Lexana began in mechanical engineering first earlier than realizing she needed a extra specialised focus. Conversations with college members, friends and educational advisors helped her see that manufacturing engineering aligned extra intently along with her pursuits and profession objectives.
“I found out that there is so much you can do in the world of manufacturing,” she says. “In my case, specializing in manufacturing engineering was a better fit for me than staying broad.”
Through this system, she deepened her understanding of manufacturing processes, methods and high quality management whereas gaining expertise that interprets on to sensible purposes.
Her youthful sister, Jenavieve, arrived at ASU along with her sights set on manufacturing engineering. Her early publicity to pc numerical management, or CNC, machining in highschool helped form that call and positioned her to take benefit of alternatives early in her school expertise.
During E2, a weekend-long expertise for incoming engineering college students, Jenavieve related with college members who helped her safe an internship at Nammo Defense Systems.
“The manufacturing engineering classes I’m taking now flow right into industry,” she says. “If I had taken these before my internship, they definitely would have prepared me a lot more for the troubleshooting ahead.”
Both sisters are Pascua Yaqui tribe members and recipients of the President Barack Obama Scholarship. They will each graduate in spring 2027 and every plan to proceed their research by the accelerated master’s diploma program.
The sisters say that their sibling dynamic has shifted over time.
“I used to be competitive with Jenavieve,” Lexana says. “But now, I just want her to succeed alongside me.”
Today, they attend one another’s management occasions throughout campuses and share what they’re studying individually to assist make one another stronger college students and engineers.
The Peavy brothers: From storage tinkering to industry-ready expertise
For Aaron and Cameron Peavy, years of initiatives at residence laid the groundwork for his or her path to manufacturing engineering. Homeschooled by highschool, they spent years engaged on initiatives collectively, together with a complete rebuild of a 1960 classic metal lathe in their storage.
“It’s an on-and-off project that we do in our spare time,” Cameron says. “It’s been really fun having something to work on together.”
After beginning neighborhood school, each brothers transferred into the bachelor’s diploma program in manufacturing engineering at ASU. Aaron was drawn to this system’s hands-on strategy, the place classroom studying is strengthened by machining labs, technical initiatives and industry-aligned coursework.
Faculty mentorship elevated that have. Aaron credit Teaching Professor Jerry Gintz in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks for reinforcing skilled requirements.
“We learned how to produce quality work, something you could turn in to your boss in the real world,” Aaron says. “Professor Gintz really reiterated the importance of technical documentation like concise written materials and high-quality presentations.”
Cameron was impressed by his brother’s curiosity in engineering and adopted an identical path.
“Going to the same college as Aaron has been a really great experience for us both,” Cameron says. “We often get to drive to school together, which means we only have to pay for one parking pass!”
But their collaboration goes deeper than comfort.
“We enjoy working together because we both understand what the other is capable of,” Cameron says. “It’s easy to delegate work between the two of us.”
After graduating on the finish of this semester, Aaron is looking for alternatives in the automotive, mining or aerospace industries. Cameron, who will graduate in 2028, hopes to work in a startup atmosphere centered on milling, CNC machining or 3D modeling.
The Hayes brothers: Gaining an higher hand
When it involves their favourite half concerning the manufacturing course of, graduate college students Todd and Tyler Hayes say they like constructing and testing over theoretical design.
Tyler discovered his turning level in undergraduate manufacturing electives, the place he was first launched to the machining and manufacturing processes that now inform his graduate analysis.
“I had so much fun in those electives,” he says. “If you apply yourself correctly, you get to play with some pretty cool machines.”
Today, his utilized graduate venture facilities on reverse engineering a legacy mechanical meeting — scanning parts with out manuals, changing the geometry into refined CAD fashions and producing documentation so future suppliers can reproduce and preserve the system. The venture blends technical precision with lifecycle considering.
Tyler additionally represents the Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement, or SCALE, group at nationwide conferences, constructing connections in superior manufacturing and semiconductor workforce growth.
“Me and my research group got flown out to D.C. to network with other students from around the country,” Tyler says. “We even ran into (ASU President) Dr. Michael Crow on the flight back!”
Todd focuses on robotics and methods integration, constructing on the manufacturing basis he developed as an undergraduate pupil.
“I felt manufacturing gave me the upper hand in making things move rather than just designing them,” Todd says.
Through the grasp’s program, he expanded each his design and manufacturing experience.
Outside the classroom, Todd applies these expertise on the ASU Bike Co-Op, repairing and managing campus rental bikes. The position reinforces troubleshooting and methods considering as he diagnoses mechanical points, performs repairs and helps preserve a vital campus useful resource.
The brothers’ paths mirror a number of instructions college students can take on the graduate stage — one centered on restore and overhaul, the opposite on integration and automation — each demonstrating how this system helps deeper specialization inside the manufacturing ecosystem.
“I think I’m more competitive than Tyler,” Todd says, jokingly. “But luckily, we like different enough things that it works out well in the end.”
The Okun brothers: From studying to main
Jake and Zack Okun have been drawn to manufacturing engineering by a curiosity about how issues work. Growing up, they designed and constructed options collectively in college competitions, naturally gravitating towards engineering.
Jake, who graduated along with his bachelor’s diploma in manufacturing engineering in 2024, was drawn to the systems-level perspective embedded in the curriculum.
“The program emphasizes how automation, robotics, data analytics and human factors operate within interconnected systems,” he says.
After finishing his bachelor’s and grasp’s levels at ASU, Jake continued into the systems engineering doctoral diploma program and now serves as an educational skilled in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks.
His path displays a development from pupil to mentor, contributing to the identical program that formed his educational {and professional} growth.
“There is a profound sense of responsibility and gratitude,” he says of returning as college.
For Zack, the enchantment of the manufacturing engineering bachelor’s diploma program was its utilized nature and {industry} relevance.
“There’s a growing demand for skilled manufacturing professionals,” Zack says. “Knowing that I’d be entering a field with both opportunity and long-term stability reinforced my decision.”
Blending creativity, problem-solving and tangible affect, he sees this discipline as foundational to know-how commercialization, the place concepts transition from idea to scalable options. Zack plans to graduate in spring 2026.
“Manufacturing is rapidly becoming more intelligent and interconnected,” Zack says. “I see the industry continuing to move toward smarter, more efficient and more sustainable systems.”
As second-generation Sun Devils, their journeys mirror each a continuation of a household legacy and this system’s potential to help college students from entry by superior examine and into management roles.