Jared Ott made the most of his time at Michigan Tech. The Enterprise team co-president, Pavlis Honors College student and mechanical engineering senior graduates this December with unforgettable memories and a future as limitless as the Keweenaw's winter snowbanks.
Michigan Technological University students don't just tolerate snow and winter; they celebrate them. Mechanical engineering senior Jared Ott is no exception. The Keweenaw climate is one of the reasons he became a Husky.
Ott vividly remembers his first visit to campus. "It was early December and I arrived during a blizzard," he said. "I watched the snow fall and immediately knew that MTU was where I wanted to attend college."
Snow continued to be a huge influence during Ott's time at Tech. An avid broomball player and lover of snowstorms, the Pavlis Honors College student connected his engineering degree with his passion for winter sports by joining and eventually co-leading Advanced Snowmobile, the University's SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge team, which claimed victory in the international championship competition earlier this year.
While the region's generous snowfall helped seal the deal, Ott was also drawn to Tech because he knew he could receive a high-quality engineering education and keep working on his own projects.
Originally from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Ott has wanted to be an engineer since he was a kid. By grade school, he was already coming up with ideas for future inventions — and he realized that the way to make those dreams come to life was by becoming an engineer. By the time Ott was in high school, he had invented and patented a new kind of fishhook and started a small business based on his new design.
"Coming from a project-based high school, I wanted to continue hands-on learning in college," Ott said. "MTU has the best opportunities to do this through experiences like the Enterprise Program, mechanical engineering practice courses, and other clubs and organizations."
What he eventually found at Tech went beyond the snowy locale and a rigorous, versatile education. Ott found a community of like-minded Huskies and a place to call home.
"Probably the most important reason I decided on MTU is the people," Ott said. "The staff, the students, the professors and the community have all been incredible."
"It feels more like a family here than a university. I didn't just choose a school; I chose a home for the next few years and a family that would last a lifetime."
Ott has come a long way from that first blizzardy visit. As he prepares to cross the stage during Michigan Tech's 2025 Midyear Commencement, Ott has a robust collegiate career to look back on, including his educational endeavors, on-campus involvement and ongoing support of his Husky community. Through all of his work, Ott has created career opportunities to prepare himself for his next successful chapter.
Making the Most of His Experiential Nature
Ott came to Michigan Tech looking for a challenge. Confident in his decision to become an engineer, he settled on studying mechanical engineering after meeting with the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and getting a detailed look at his future coursework and career options. Others might have been daunted. Ott was excited.
"I enjoyed that the mechanical engineering path was a challenging one," said Ott. "When I decided to attend MTU, I didn't want an easy path. I wanted one that would make me the best engineer I could be."
Like many Huskies, Ott chose to level up his engineering education by joining Tech's one-of-a-kind Enterprise Program, where students work on self-run teams to solve real-world problems. Ott joined Advanced Snowmobile. Part of the Advanced Motorsports Enterprise, the Clean Snowmobile Challenge team focuses on reducing snowmobile exhaust and sound emissions.
"I've been on the Enterprise team for four years now, and it's been one of the most rewarding experiences during my time here at Tech," said Ott. "We won our national competition last year, where I was a major contributor to our award-winning presentation and paper."
The team's victory at the SAE International Clean Snowmobile Challenge in March 2025 happened during Ott's term as team co-president — but he said he was just grateful to be part of the team.
"This team gave me the opportunity to further my career, learn how to manage a project and grow as a leader," Ott said. "Our team and advisors put in an incredible amount of work to set us up for our win."
Ott sees a direct link between his Enterprise experience and his professional success.
Ott landed his first internship role the summer before his second year at Tech. He worked as a maintenance engineer at a paper mill in Kaukauna, Wisconsin. In subsequent years, Ott snagged a co-op and two summer internships with Mercury Marine, where he accepted a full-time position as a mechatronics engineer post-graduation.
"I'll get to design, test, and support outboard steering systems and trim/tilt systems," Ott said. "I have loved my experiences at Mercury Marine so far, and I cannot wait to grow as a professional engineer in this position."
His co-op experience with Mercury Marine was a huge influence on his collegiate career. Ott encourages his fellow Huskies to pursue the co-op and internship opportunities that come their way.
"Getting to work for an extended period of time provided more experience, helped me save a little money, and gave me a new perspective on my coursework," said Ott. "After my co-op, I had a whole new excitement toward my career because I enjoyed my work so much."
"The hands-on experience I got through Enterprise, particularly the Clean Snowmobile Enterprise, is the reason I got my job and the other professional opportunities that have come my way."
Ott's educational and experiential goals don't end with engineering. Ever since he patented a fishhook, he's been interested in business and entrepreneurship. In addition to his mechanical engineering studies, Ott completed a business minor at Tech. He thinks more engineering students should consider opportunities with the Michigan Tech College of Business.
"We have a great business education environment here," Ott said. "I loved the business classes I was able to take and have met some extremely interesting people through it."
Huskies Are Forever
While education and experience were paramount for Ott during his time at Michigan Tech, he's no stranger to the Husky traditions that give hardworking students a break from academics.
"My favorite tradition is probably broomball," said Ott, who has played as many games as he can every year since he came to Tech. "There's no feeling like playing broomball with your friends during a blizzard!"
From competing in the University's Homecoming Cardboard Boat Race and studying in the Pavlis Honors College lounge to exploring the fall colors on hikes around the Keweenaw and snowmobiling through blizzards, Ott and his friends have made the most of Tech's abundant slate of activities both on and off campus.
"When I try to pick out a singular favorite MTU memory, I don't think I can," he said. "I have a lot that stand out. I'll never forget the late nights in the dorms with friends, s'mores around the campfire, seeing the northern lights for the first time, my first large snowstorm, winning the Clean Snowmobile Challenge and the countless other great times I've had."
Ott values all the connections he's made at Michigan Tech, but there's clearly one that stands out — and it goes all the way back to the beginning.
On the very first day of Tech's undergraduate orientation, Ott met biomedical engineering student Emily Breton. Now, they're an engaged couple — and both are graduating from Michigan Tech this December.
"My Tech story would be incomplete without her," said Ott. "She has pushed me to be the best version of myself."
Breton is an accomplished Husky engineer in her own right. A fellow Pavlis Honors College student, she served as president of the Consumer Product Manufacturing Enterprise team, held a co-op with American Orthodontics and was an undergraduate research assistant with the Karmanos Cancer Institute. Breton was also inducted into the Order of the Engineer by the Department of Biomedical Engineering, where she helped organize the induction ceremony.
The couple is looking forward to exploring what their shared future holds following graduation.
"Every experience I've had here at Tech would be less meaningful and less fun without her," said Ott. "She's my best friend and our shared experiences at MTU will be something we cherish for the rest of our lives."
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 and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, 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.
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