Date:
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
A second-year mechanical engineering master’s student, Anders Seawright worked as a teaching assistant for three different courses this year. He put in extra time this year to master the material of his classes in order to be as helpful as possible for his students. That extra effort and emphasis on creating a positive workspace paid off in a big way for Seawright, whom graduating seniors voted the 2024 Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award for the Mechanical Engineering Department.
“I feel super touched; I honestly started crying when I read the email announcing the award,” said Seawright, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UCSB. “The past few years, I’ve really been trying to put myself out there more. I’ve put in a ton of effort and really love being a TA, but it’s still always hard to tell what people really think of you. This recognition gives me confidence to just keep being myself.”
Seawright has worked in the soft robotics lab of mechanical engineering associate professor Elliot Hawkes. He plans to enter industry after completing his master’s degree, but he admits that receiving the Outstanding TA Award has made him strongly consider returning to pursue his PhD in a few years.
“I already know that I’m going to miss it here when I leave,” he said. “I’m especially going to miss working with such a talented and wonderful group of students.”
News Type:
Awards and Accolades
