Student Spotlight: Ashna Reddy

This spotlight is part of our 2022 Women's History Month feature.

Ashna Reddy ’23 chose mechanical engineering for its practical applications. She was fascinated by the entire process of building something from start to finish and has found many opportunities to explore engineering on- and off-campus. From data analysis in the fast-paced corporate environment at Tesla to a Martian and lunar space deployable structures internship at NASA, Ashna has steadily gained hands-on experience and confidence in her abilities as an engineer.

In reflecting on her journey as a woman in engineering, Ashna noted that technical experience is needed among all students, especially women, to support confidence in the classroom and persist in the field. This realization has been a significant focus of her term as president of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). This year, SWE has prioritized workshops that teach technical skills and regularly planned industry networking events and professional panels. Ashna’s message to budding women engineers: “As soon as you get that initial hands-on experience, you will get a better understanding of how you can apply the concepts you learn in class to real-world problems. As a result, you will gain a level of competence which, for me, at least, made me feel that I belong in the field and can speak the engineering language.”

Ashna chose UC Davis because of the people and the program. “People here are very supportive and willing to help. This is what you need in engineering. Engineering, by nature, is difficult because of the complexity of the coursework combined with the number of units that have to be completed, so it helps you learn better when you have support,” Ashna says. She has found community in many places on campus, including the Society of Women Engineers, Formula Racing and the Humans, Robotics, Vehicles Integration & Performance (HRVIP) Laboratory. Ashna names HRVIP’s leading faculty member Dr. Stephen K. Robinson, and two graduate students, Kylie Cooper and Abhay Negi, as having provided significant mentorship and support.

Ashna finds it tricky not to overload herself with engineering opportunities, of which she indicates there are many at UC Davis and beyond. In the near future, she plans to re-visit a non-technical area of interest: her podcast Sparklink on Spotify. Sparklink features young entrepreneurs who have come up with unique solutions to many of the world’s existing problems, including gun violence, food waste and exclusion of neurodiverse people in the workforce, among others. Ashna started Sparklink just before her freshman year at UC Davis and reflects, “The process of reaching out to guests, researching different problems, coming up with questions to ask, having hour-long conversations, cutting and stitching the episodes has allowed me to become a better communicator. I didn’t know at the time, but it has significantly helped me within the engineering field.”