Armed with robotics experience and a love of programming, second-year computer engineering student William Ingels is using his network of Michigan Tech experiences and connections to find more opportunities to build success.
Thanks to Michigan Tech's Summer Bridge Program, William Ingels started his first year at Tech a step ahead. By the time classes started last fall, he'd already taken a University course and connected with a cohort of fellow incoming Huskies. The Summer Bridge experience prepared him for his coursework, helped him feel more comfortable about establishing a social life, and also provided the resources he'd need for further guidance as he progressed.
Now in his second year, Ingels has hit several Husky milestones. He got involved in research. He experienced his first winter on campus and participated in Tech's time-honored broomball tradition. He excelled in his coursework. He found his home at Tech. Over the summer and in the new academic year, Ingels has continued to lay the foundation for his continued success in Husky Nation and beyond.
Crossing the Bridge
Hailing from Temperance, Michigan, Ingels first became aware of Michigan Tech in a likely place: a robotics competition. Like many Huskies, he's been involved in robotics since middle school and was on his high school's FIRST Robotics team. Robotics was a natural step developed through his early fascination with programming, advancing from his first block-coding games in middle school to when he and friends taught themselves the Java programming language in high school.
Ingels was the programmer on his robotics team, responsible for making sure their FIRST Robotics Competition robot was equipped to perform the necessary functions outlined in the annual challenge. He was also the robot driver, using his knowledge of all the robot's components to troubleshoot any issues that arose during competition.
"I didn't do the actual wiring, but I had to know what the electrical team had done to fix things when they broke," he said. "That led me down the path of wanting to explore the electrical components more."
Ingels saw Michigan Tech representatives at state robotics competitions, where he and his team made frequent successful appearances. When it came time to look into universities, Tech was top of mind.
"I knew I wanted to do something related to computer science or engineering, and was looking at schools in Michigan," said Ingels. He found what he was looking for in Tech's computer engineering program in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). "It combined the computer science aspect and electrical work I really liked. I didn't see that program at many of the other schools in Michigan."
Tech instantly felt like the right choice when Ingels came up for a campus visit.
"When I toured campus, I felt close to home, which is weird considering how far away it actually is," he said. Just north of the Michigan-Ohio border, Temperance is nine hours away by car. He remains happy with his decision. "I enjoy the environment and all the professors are great."
Tech felt even more like home to Ingels when he arrived as first-year student, due in large part to the S-STEM Husky Pathways for Academic Wellness and Success (PAWS) scholarship program. Made possible through funding from the National Science Foundation's Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program, Michigan Tech's S-STEM Husky PAWS program provides four years of financial support to Pell-eligible incoming students earning degrees in STEM fields.
Michigan Tech's S-STEM Husky PAWS scholarship recipients also participate in the Summer Bridge Program, a multiweek academic experience designed to prepare incoming first-year students for college success.
"We support our S-STEM students through a metacognition-focused Summer Bridge Program and wraparound programming in the academic year," said Michelle Jarvie-Eggart, assistant professor of engineering fundamentals. "These programs support our students' successful transition to college life. We are proud that we've had 100% retention of our S-STEM students so far."
Ingels participated in the Summer Bridge Program before the start of the fall 2025 semester. Alongside a cohort of fellow students, he took university courses and gained familiarity with Michigan Tech's campus and academic programs.
"A lot of students struggle with that transition between high school and college. The S-STEM program helps more students succeed early on and makes Tech feel really comfortable. I knew how my class schedule worked and who to talk to if I needed help. That guidance early on was very helpful."
Ingels is still close to the friends he made in Summer Bridge, and resides in Wadsworth Hall this year with many of them. He's also a mentor to this year's Summer Bridge program students, organizing study sessions and social gatherings.
"I really think S-STEM was one of the best programs Tech offered, as a scholarship but also for the community you form," he said. "I enjoy being a part of it."
For Ingels, S-STEM participation also led to many new experiences at Michigan Tech and elsewhere.
A Chain Reaction of Opportunities
During his first year as a Husky, Ingels dove into his coursework, enjoying the dual focus of his computer engineering major. He loves both the detail-oriented nature of his programming classes and the familiar feel of his first-year engineering coursework.
"The engineering courses feel a lot like working in robotics," he said. "We work on teams and come up with ideas together."
Through ECE coursework, Ingels connected with Assistant Professor Anna Stuhlmacher, who prompted him to start undergraduate research through the College of Engineering's Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (REU) program during his second semester at Tech.
"I didn't really look into research at all before college, because I didn't think I would end up doing that," said Ingels. "Professor Stuhlmacher actually convinced me to apply and then helped me complete the application."
In the REU program, Ingels assisted Stuhlmacher in her research examining how water distribution systems can enhance electric power grid systems, working at the intersection of energy systems, cybersecurity and infrastructure protection. Ingels used his coding expertise to help sort through data for the project.
"Having that experience has been really helpful," he said. "Professor Stuhlmacher has been very helpful and guided me through how research works at Tech. This was a nice look at a world I knew nothing about before."
On the heels of his involvement in the S-STEM and REU programs, Ingels discovered the STEMNetX Fellowship Program.
Founded by the Chance to Change Lives nonprofit organization in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, STEMNetX provides mentorship and development to the next generation of leaders and knowledge creators in STEM fields. The fellowship program brings together 15 undergraduate students from around the country to a summer boot camp that provides hands-on training and collaborative learning opportunities in coding, ethics, professional development and more. Fellows go on field trips to STEM-focused institutes and labs around the Pittsburgh area where they can speak directly with experts in various fields.
As a 2026 STEMNetX Fellow, Ingels traveled to Pittsburgh, where he took a Python programming course and toured the University of Pittsburgh and a U.S. Department of Energy research facility alongside a cohort of budding scientists and engineers.
"The program established new connections between students, and more people to reach out to when you need help, including the professors we worked with," he said. "It was basically a starter guide on how to network well, which will help me later on."
Though he's only in his second year of college, Ingels has gained a clear understanding of how experiences in one program can lead to more opportunities to build success. He first heard of the STEMNetX Fellowship Program through MTU's S-STEM Husky PAWS program — and it was Stuhlmacher who wrote him a letter of recommendation for the fellowship program after his work with her in the REU program. Now, his experience in Pittsburgh may have shown him a new path.
"On a tour at the University of Pittsburgh, I saw a microfabrication lab which I got really interested in," said Ingels. "That led me to look into opportunities here at Tech, and I'm reaching out to faculty members here to get involved."
While the 2026-27 school year has just begun, Ingels is already thinking about next summer. Following his work with Stuhlmacher, he's looking at internships in electrical grid data. "Since that experience, I've been leaning toward that field, now that I know more," he said.
Ingels continues to find and make opportunities for himself. This year, he joined Tech's prestigious Thompson Scholars Program, which empowers academically driven and service-minded students through financial support, academic resources and community-building opportunities.
Even with all of his community involvement and rigorous coursework, Ingels still manages to find time to unwind. He enjoys playing video games and cheering on the Detroit Lions with friends. He's especially looking forward to his next broomball season.
"Of course, I play broomball," he said. "My first year, we got our butts kicked, but that's OK. It's a lot of fun."
Feeling at home on Michigan Tech's campus was a big part of Ingels' first-year success. With an even wider breadth of experiences under his belt, he's prepared for whatever comes next.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, forestry, business, health professions, robotics, psychology, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
