Bridget Bauhard

Bridget Bauhard accomplished many things during her time in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, but becoming her student organization’s first female president was a true highlight.

“Bring president of Alpha Eta Rho, ASU’s co-ed aviation fraternity, was one of my hardest but most rewarding experiences,” she says.

This was quite an accomplishment, considering Bauhard didn’t know how she wanted to make her impact in aviation just a few years prior. She says aviation was always something she had been interested in, but she wasn’t sure where to start.

“Once I found out there was an aviation program at Arizona State University, I applied and never looked back,” says Bauhard, a dean’s list student.

Her interest in aviation safety became apparent after joining the program. She recalls a time when one of her professors acknowledged her as a student particularly interested in aviation safety in front of a guest speaker. This was the defining moment when Bauhard realized she was on the right academic path.

Another memorable classroom experience that helped shape her time in the program was when she and her classmates were assigned a project to create an airline. She says she enjoyed brainstorming ideas and using creativity to come up with the name and design.

Collaborating with peers frequently happened during her time in the aviation program, and Bauhard says working with different types of personalities changed her life.

“No matter how small the ASU aviation community is, everyone is still there for you no matter what,” she says. “I’m close with a lot of people in my degree program and it’s been incredible getting to know them.”

Many aviation faculty positively impacted Bauhard’s educational journey. She says Teaching Assistant Professor Katherine Wallmueller and Faculty Associate Robert O’Neil inspired her to continue on her paths in air traffic control and aviation safety. She says working for Wallmueller as an intern “allowed me to grow as an individual and blossom into the person I am today.”

Following graduation, Bauhard hopes to find a career in the airline industry and eventually work for an airline safety department, specifically the National Transportation Safety Board’s “go-team,” investigating commercial aviation airliner crashes and incidents.

Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ Fall 2022 class here.