Bayne award winner reflects on Pi Tau Sigma experience

Stuart Herndon (BSME '13) still remembers his first invitation to the fraternity. He did not know much about Pi Tau Sigma, the mechanical engineering honorary society. Then, he noticed a trend. All of his friends were joining and working on the initiation process. They were volunteering and attending social events.

"When I got another invite the next semester, I did initiate and talked with all my friends about it," said Herndon, who graduated in May. "We had a really big class for people that were all joining at the time."

Two years later, Herndon was awarded the James W. Bayne Award for Outstanding Senior in Pi Tau Sigma in this spring for his activities, service, and scholarship while being a part of the society.

Since joining Pi Tau Sigma, Herndon has become increasingly involved with the society every year. His first position in the group was as a member of the fundraising committee, and then he was fundraising chair. In his senior year, Herndon was president of the fraternity.

Although his duties changed on a weekly basis, he led executive board meetings, met regularly with Associate Professor Dimitrios Kyritsis, and presentations for their meetings every other week. Herndon also occupied himself with more specific projects ranging from designing the volunteer-run program, the Technology Club at Booker T. Washington STEM Academy, to encouraging alumni to reconnect with Pi Tau Sigma.

"Our alumni base is strong here within our chapter," Herndon said, "but as an organization and as a whole, not so much."

Now that he has graduated, Herndon will be sitting on an ad hoc for the national board of directors.

"I am hopeful that we can establish some sort of industry board that I might have the privilege to sit on in the future as far as that more professional and career individual involvement goes," Herndon said.

His reason for choosing to invest more time in Pi Tau Sigma?

"At the end of it, Pi Tau Sigma differentiates itself from other honor societies by really pushing active membership," Herndon said. "It is not something that you do once and put on your resume."

In his spare time, Herndon served as a Young Life leader, as part of the non-denominational Christian outreach program. As a leader, he met with children in the area, ran a club, partook in team meetings, and encouraged teenagers to participate in a Bible study and discussion group.

Herndon has now moved to Houston, where he is working as a machinery engineer at ExxonMobil.