Class of 2025: Sydney Hulse's engineering dreams materialized
Sydney Hulse’s journey from a small town in Colorado to earning an engineering degree at Virginia Tech was once way outside of her comfort zone. But she’s embraced the challenge with curiosity and a little help from her materials science community.
Name: Sydney Hulse
College: College of Engineering
Major: Materials science and engineering
Hometown: Windsor, Colorado
Plans after graduation: Working as an application engineer in the electrical group at Vertiv, a company that offers power distribution systems for data centers and AI infrastructure.
Favorite Hokie memory: “There were a few students who came to my TA office hours regularly, and we really got to know each other. We’d work on homework and then completely derail the conversation over something random. But I loved it — I felt like I was actually helping someone and that I really got to know them. I felt crucial to someone’s education, and that meant a lot.”
Like many aspiring engineers, Sydney Hulse was skilled at math and science from a young age. But it wasn’t until she read the science fiction novel “Skyward” that she focused on pursuing aerospace engineering. The book by Brandon Sanderson tells the story of a girl who dreams of becoming a pilot in a dangerous world at war with an alien race. Hulse idolized the main character, who works feverishly to fix aircrafts meant to go hurtling through the air. She fantasized about working on similar modes of transportation for those here on Earth.
A couple of years later, Hulse traveled more than 1,500 miles from Colorado to Virginia Tech to pursue her “Skyward”-inspired enthusiasm for aerospace engineering. But during her first year as a student, she ended up finding her true calling in the world of materials science. It was the intro to materials science course that solidified her choice.
“Because materials science is broad and can be applied to almost every discipline, there’s always something more that you can learn," she said. “Everything’s made out of materials — and there’s so much more that we have yet to figure out about them.”
A leader of students
Beyond academics, her Virginia Tech experience was made richer by tight-knit connections with classmates, professors, and mentors. Hulse worked alongside several faculty in the materials science department who see her as a standout.
“Since Sydney’s sophomore year, she has served as my teaching assistant and immediately became someone I could rely on to lead, organize, and support students with both competence and care,” said Christine Burgoyne, director of the engineering communications program in the materials science and engineering department. “Her initiative, follow-through, and thoughtful leadership have made her an integral part of our department’s student community and a model of what we hope to see in future student leaders.”
The Colorado native helped lead her department through student mentorship, professional development initiatives — including creating the first-ever student-led career fair for materials science and engineering — and serving as the president of the Materials Engineering Professional Society student chapter at Virginia Tech for the 2024–25 academic year.
Saying yes
One of Hulse’s favorite hands-on projects during her time at Virginia Tech was the creation of a replica version of George Washington’s sword as part of the Cast in Steel competition, sponsored by the Steel Founders’ Society of America. Her team won second place for their video, which showcased the development, casting, and testing process of their sword, lovingly named “Swordy McSword Face.”
Hulse even got to live out her childhood space fantasies when she contributed to research on cutting-edge ceramics that was funded by NASA through the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. “I ended up getting to work on materials used for fast-flying vehicles, which was a full-circle moment for me,” she said.
Hulse’s journey is a testament to the power of stepping outside your comfort zone — and saying yes to unexpected opportunities.
“Try everything. You’ll always be drawn to what interests you naturally, but saying yes to new things is how you’ll learn what else you’re capable of,” Hulse said. “That’s how I went from just being a club member to club president. Take risks and you’ll surprise yourself.”