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Academic excellence, personal integrity, professionalism and community service — these are the values of the professional engineer. Each year, The Colorado Engineering Council invites CU engineering departments and societies to nominate graduating seniors who embody those values to be considered for the Silver Medal, one of the college’s highest honors.

Vismaya Bachu of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering will receive that coveted award at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Banquet in the presence of her peers, faculty and college alumni.

Professor and Department Chair Charles Musgrave, Senior Instructor and Associate Chair Wendy Young and Assistant Professor Anushree Chatterjee nominated Bachu for the Silver Medal. They cited her numerous awards, grants, scholarships and undergraduate research at the Brzezinski Ophthalmology Research Lab at CU Denver and Chatterjee Lab at CU Boulder. She was also involved with the BOLD Center as a tutor for the Student Success Center and volunteered with middle and high school students through ASPIRE— and more.

Originally from Highlands Ranch, Bachu chose CU Boulder because of the reputation of the engineering program, its proximity to home and because of the outreach of CU recruiters to her area.

Upon graduating high school, Bachu received a coveted Boettcher Scholarship, a full-ride given to 40 outstanding graduating Colorado seniors each year who commit to attending college in the Centennial State. It is a program meant to encourage Colorado's best and brightest to stay and give back to their communities.

Choosing the engineering path

As someone considering a career in medicine, the decision to pursue a challenging major like chemical and biological engineering came naturally to Bachu.

“Growing up, my dad was an engineer. He exposed me to not just the science, but also the applications — how to translate science to benefit those around you,” she said. “You’re taking those problem-solving abilities and applying them to something.”

“My parents were incredibly supportive,” she explained. “Most people, when they want to go to medicine, they don’t take the engineering path. My parents always encouraged me to explore what I wanted to do and hone in on that.”

Building a network

Recognizing that no engineer develops in a vacuum, Bachu also benefited from her efforts to build a strong social and professional support network while at CU — including some connections outside the engineering community.

“I appreciate my support system that I had in the professors, friends and peers," she said. "I really liked Mary Rader and Dr. Scot Douglass from Engineering Honors, and Dr. Diduch, my philosophy professor, who showed me a different side of things.”

That support system is part and parcel to her view of engineering.

“I think the idea of collaboration is very interwoven with engineering,” she said. “When you’re growing up, you often say that you don’t like group projects, you think it’s easier to work by yourself. But as you grow older, you develop more of a group mentality. In engineering, eventually you work with a team. No one has truly single-handedly developed anything.”

Getting real-world experience as an undergrad

Bachu took full advantage of her time at CU to develop into a more well-rounded student. Her experiences included both professional and personal opportunities for growth. She participated in almost 1000 hours of research beginning her freshman year, explored CRISPR basic bench techniques in the Chatterjee Lab, studied ophthalmology at the Anschutz Medical Campus and even joined the CU classical dance team.

“It was amazing that CU Boulder allowed me to prepare for medicine, take philosophy classes... and now I’m getting into pottery too!" she said. "There were lots of different options here.”

As she reflected on her early years as a student, she considered what advice she might give to CU students just starting out.

“I came in freshman year, and I was an engineering student, pre-med, and I thought I needed to do research, to volunteer, to shadow physicians right off the bat," she said. "The truth is, I needed to take some time to figure out what I liked. If something is not right for you, sometimes it takes more courage to step back, and that’s okay.”

Finding a balance, getting support

Another challenge many students face is balancing their need to study, work and attend class against the needs of their family. During her junior year, a member of Bachu’s family suffered from a medical crisis. She went home to stay with her parents every other weekend, and missed several weeks’ worth of classes and exams.

“I was trying to handle staying afloat at school, MCAT study and being there for my family,” she said. “That’s a juggling act that I started junior year, and I’m still trying to manage it, from helping my parents and younger sister, to keep my grades up.”

But she wasn’t alone. During her time of greatest need, the network of supportive peers and faculty she had developed helped her through that difficult period.

“I would like to thank all my professors from junior year for being so accommodating, understanding and willing to let me make up tests and get extensions on my homework!” she said.

Excited for the future

While being an engineering student can be difficult, what she has learned at the College of Engineering and Applied Science will set her up for success as she takes her next steps.

“I have a feeling my educational path is going to be pretty windy,” she said. “I’m at the point in my life where I like learning — learning more, and applying it. Engineering isn’t a career, it’s an ideology, a set of principles you can apply.”

As she leaves CU, she’s excited for her future, and the future of her classmates.

“I’m most excited to see my peers graduate because I see how smart they are, how well-accomplished they are," she said. "Some of them are going to work for industry giants like SpaceX or Ball and others are attending prestigious grad schools. I just know they are going to make a difference in whichever endeavor they choose to pursue, because they are going to be a on a team with like-minded people. And that has a lot of change-making potential. I can see all of them going on to do incredible things!”

Now that she is only a few weeks away from graduation, Bachu is planning on attending the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago and explore a career in academic medical research.