Julia Giese

As a high school student, mechanical engineering senior Julia Giese came to the Illinois campus as a summer camp attendee through the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) program. Her participation in camp solidified her decision to pursue mechanical engineering.

“I was motivated to choose mechanical engineering because I have always loved solving problems using a creative approach,” Julia said. “I specifically chose Illinois because it is one of the top engineering schools in the nation, while also being close to home, so it seemed like a no-brainer.”

Once on campus as a student, Julia became involved with Illini VEX Robotics. “During my freshman and sophomore years, I was involved in an omnidirectional wheelchair project through VEX Robotics’ research and design team,” she said. The team’s goal was to use “omni-wheels,” or wheels with rollers commonly used in competitive robotics, to drive an omnidirectional wheelchair.

“I most enjoyed the immeasurable experience I gained from this team, especially when just starting out in school,” she said. “I also made great friends and was so fortunate to receive guidance from my teammates with much more experience than I had at the time.”

Julia credits her father, Bill (BSME 1997), with introducing her to aspects of engineering that later helped guide her decision. “I was lucky enough to have a dad in mechanical engineering, and he always encouraged us to work hands-on and provided us with all the resources we could need,” she said. “Not many kids are able to grow up with access to a 3D printer right at home, and this ability to create things on my own really drove me to love design work.”

“I was naturally drawn to mechanical engineering and design as a whole,” Bill recalled. “Growing up in Illinois, the U of I felt like a very obvious choice [for school]. It has an incredible engineering program.”

Bill has worked for nearly 28 years with the global manufacturing company Illinois Tool Works (ITW), which has headquarters in Glenview, Illinois. He was recently promoted from Division Vice President/General Manager to Group Strategy Director for ITW’s welding segment.

“I focus on driving organic growth by applying ITW’s disciplined ‘80/20’ strategy across the organization,” he said. “As both a strategy leader and coach, I partner closely with senior leadership and division teams to sharpen market focus, uncover new growth opportunities, and accelerate innovation and new product development.”

ITW welding designs and manufactures advanced arc welding equipment, safety solutions, and specialty consumables to serve industries such as manufacturing, construction, aviation, agriculture, and motorsports.

“My career has taken a path toward management and leadership in manufacturing, and my Illinois degree helped shape that,” Bill said. “I think of mechanical engineering as a versatile, well-rounded degree. I was exposed to a lot of different things.”

“I can’t say enough how grateful I am that [Julia] is going to the U of I and that we’re currently living in Illinois,” Bill said.

This past summer, Julia interned for the second time at Miller Electric Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisconsin. “I definitely want to do product design and I’ve been lucky to get some practice by interning at Miller,” she said. She is also excited that her brother, Billy, joined her in MechSE this fall.

“I cannot wait to show him around campus, spend more time with him, and overall just be a helping hand if he has any questions or needs advice from someone who has been in the same situation,” she said. “Seeing all the remarkable things he has done in high school, I cannot wait to see everything that he accomplishes here at Illinois.”

“I’ve enjoyed getting back to campus,” Bill said of being able to visit. “I’m somewhere between super proud and super jealous when I come back. I feel very blessed.”

“The most special part about going to the same school as my dad is the better understanding we have of each other,” Julia said. “If I need someone to run an idea past or even just to talk about classes and daily life, I know he is always there to not only listen but understand.”

Jillian Kouzmanoff

With an uncle who studied electrical engineering and a grandmother who graduated from MechSE (then Mechanical and Industrial Engineering), the University of Illinois was a familiarity in the life of mechanical engineering senior Jillian Kouzmanoff from a young age. Like Julia Giese, Jillian was personally introduced to the campus as a high school student, when she attended the aerospace engineering summer camp hosted by WYSE.

“After [camp], I knew that this was the place I wanted to be,” she said. She was not alone in finding Illinois to be the right place — both her brothers have attended the U of I as well, with Max recently graduating with a degree in econometrics and Quincy currently studying business agriculture. “Then I ended up doing an internship [through the Exelon Foundation STEM Academy], and that made my mind up that I wanted to be in MechSE.”

For the Illinois native, the legacy of her late grandmother Maurita Kouzmanoff’s (BSME 1979) legacy was also a guiding factor. “Growing up, I was inspired hearing about my grandma and what she did,” she said. Still, she holds that her explorations during high school became the deciding factor for her collegiate journey.

“There’s a lot of different ties that connect me [to MechSE], but the individual experiences I had were ultimately what helped me determine the type of engineering I wanted to study and where I wanted to do it,” she said.

Once on campus, Jillian became heavily involved in the Illinois chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), serving this past school year as director of their outreach committee. She also performs thermal experiments for a space manufacturing research project sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with professor Sameh Tawfick.

Maurita studied mechanical engineering at the U of I while her oldest son studied electrical engineering. “She had six kids, but she still pursued a career for herself,” Jillian said, noting that her grandmother went by the nickname “Chris” in the department so that her assignments could not be judged by her gender.

“I think the beauty of mechanical engineering is that there’s so many different things that you can do with it,” Jillian said of her grandmother’s choice of field. “My grandmother worked at [the Tuscola-based chemical plant owned by Quantum Chemical Corporation], and I think she enjoyed witnessing a lot of manufacturing processes and being able to take on a variety of jobs.”

“It must have been tough,” Jillian’s father, Keith, said of his mother. “She raised six kids and worked full-time to go back to school. She felt extremely proud to be a mechanical engineer.”

Maurita worked at Quantum’s Tuscola plant from 1980 until its closure in 1991. Tragically, she passed away in 1997 at the age of 54.

“Growing up without being able to meet her made her feel like more of a distant relative,” Jillian reflected. “But now, I’m taking the same classes that she took. I might even be seeing some of the people she met. I feel really connected to her and a lot more connected to my family as well.”

Maurita’s husband, James Kouzmanoff, earned his master’s degree in information technology from Eastern Illinois University in 1980. He currently resides in Danville, taking advantage of the proximity to attend Illinois basketball games with Jillian.

Jillian’s uncle and electrical engineering alum Jeffrey Kouzmanoff has supported her journey. “He’s been an awesome tutor and mentor for me,” she said.

Looking ahead, she anticipates entering the energy sector, having completed two internships with ComEd. She interned this past summer at Airbus.

“The [ME] degree is not for wimps,” Keith said. “I’m so proud that [Jillian] chose the road less traveled.”

Evan Tonarelli

Mechanical engineering junior Evan Tonarelli found it natural to carry on his family’s legacy and follow in his father’s footsteps to pursue engineering at Illinois.

“I knew that I wanted to do something hands-on,” he recalled, noting that he had an alternate plan to pursue trade school if he wasn’t accepted to Illinois. “I figured that MechSE would allow me to be broad enough that I wouldn’t have to specialize in just one thing, which would open up availability after college to pursue different fields such as nuclear energy, manufacturing, or construction technology.”

Hailing from north-central Illinois, Evan’s maternal grandfather, Donald Janka, and father, Darren Tonarelli, both studied engineering at Illinois, graduating from civil engineering in 1962 and general engineering in 1995, respectively.

“My dad got me into engineering,” he said. “He worked construction and he would work on projects at home on the weekends with me by his side. When I started thinking about what I wanted to do after high school, I knew I should follow my dad and go to Illinois.”

Once on campus, Evan became a member of the U of I chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), joining the product development sub-team. His team collaborated on a project supported by the Illinois Assistive Technology Program (IATP) to prototype an open-sourced, 3D-printable, gear-driven mechanism that can sweep a white cane back and forth while mounted on a walker.

“Older people who suffer from both mobility and vision issues may have to use a walker and a white cane simultaneously, which is hard to balance,” he said. “It was really impactful for me to see that we could come up with a solution that could solve this need.”

In addition to IATP, Evan partnered with the machine learning startup Avea Robotics (accepted into the Y combinator in spring 2026), for which he co-led a team of 15 students over this past academic year.

“We developed a four-fingered robotic arm with 14 degrees of freedom,” he said, noting that the arm, Dextera, was demonstrated at this year’s Engineering Open House. Dextera was awarded third place for Outstanding Freshman Exhibit, an award given to a team comprised of at least fifty percent freshmen.  

Evan carries a legacy that includes not just his father and grandfather, but two uncles as well. His maternal uncles Ronald Janka and John Kowalski both studied mechanical engineering, graduating in 1989 and 1991, respectively. “I’ve always been close with my uncles,” he said. “As I got into high school, I wanted to learn more about their careers.”

In particular, he cites Kowalski’s work ethic as an impactful model for his own upcoming career. “I’ve always seen [Kowalski] as a very dedicated worker,” he said. “Being able to witness someone being so dedicated and turning their dedication into real success made me feel that if I work hard in MechSE, I can achieve really meaningful results.”

“I’ve always liked to tinker, to get my hands dirty and understand how things work,” Kowalski said. “When I looked at the various engineering disciplines [as a student], fields like electrical and chemical felt very theoretical — you can’t see [the concepts] physically. But mechanical felt tangible, and it was a broad field, which made me interested.”

Evan interned this past summer with Constellation Energy at their Dresden Clean Energy Center in Morris, Illinois.  

“I’m proud of [him] and I think he’s doing great things,” Kowalski said of Evan. “He’s got a great future ahead of him.”

Kevin Wandke

Back in high school, teaching assistant professor Kevin Wandke (BSME 2019, MSECE 2022, PhD ECE 2024), did not predict just how far he would go in MechSE. Or, for that matter, the state of Illinois.

“I actually really wanted to get out of the Midwest,” said Kevin, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs. “I was thinking East coast or West coast. But when I toured the Illinois campus, I really enjoyed it. I also had a family connection. MechSE ended up checking all the boxes for me.”

Kevin’s family connection runs deep — his grandfather Norman Wandke (BSME 1950), aunt Adrienne Adams (BSME 1982), father Norman Wandke Jr. (BSME 1985) and cousin Christopher Wichlac (BSME 2024) all passed through the department. Chris’ parents also attended the U of I, as did another aunt and Kevin’s brother Alan, who studied computer science.

“The creativity aspect is what really drew me to engineering,” he said. “I could use the physics and chemistry and math that I loved to solve a problem that would have a positive impact on people.”

Overlapping with family as a student made for a particularly special time. “It was a lot of fun getting to see Chris while he was here, and my aunt and uncle when they would come to visit,” he recalled. “My brother was also on campus at that time, so we had quite the cohort from my family who was down here. There were lots of people who were within a couple of hours and would make their way over.”

Kevin earned his master’s in mechanical engineering before switching to the electrical and computer engineering for his PhD.

“By the time I finished my PhD, I’d been in town for nine years and I’d really fallen in love with Champaign-Urbana as a place. As I started to look for a teaching faculty position, Illinois was definitely on my list. And I really appreciated the freedom in teaching that Illinois offered — I felt that I could innovate in the classroom as opposed to follow the same structure that has always been taught.”

Kevin’s family demonstrates the breadth of expertise encompassed by a MechSE education, with his relatives branching into various careers in industry. Norman Jr. (now retired) designed and manufactured X-ray tubes for the imaging solutions company Dunlee. Wichlac joined Continental Tire’s rotation program, recently settling in an industrial engineering position. Adams (retired) moved to Florida to work for the electric utility Florida Power & Light (FPL).

“I began by climbing in attics,” Adams joked of her early career efforts with FPL. “I went on to design underground distribution systems for electric services, manage planning for future feeder substations, and lead reliability programs.”

The Wandke family’s connection to campus begins with Kevin’s grandfather, a WWII veteran who attended Illinois following his term of service.

“My dad always thought that Illinois was the best deal,” Norman Jr. recalled. “When I was a kid, he always loved to make things and fix things. He’d bring things home for me to take apart too.”

Indeed, the family continues to value their longstanding relationship with the U of I.

“Having attended such a historical, amazing institution for engineering was fantastic,” Wichlac said. “I’m so proud. Every time [my company gets] new hires from the U of I, I’m so excited because I just love our school.”

Now having taught for the last two years, Kevin cherishes the opportunity to connect with students. “In some of my classes, I get to learn all my students’ names and be an educator who cares about educating and cares about them,” he said. “I have a fulfilling sense that I’m in a position to enact change and make things better.”

Zachary Yashar

As a high school student, mechanical engineering senior Zachary Yashar found mechanical engineering to be the perfect combination of his two favorite subjects — physics and shop class. He was also familiar with the field through his dad, Dr. David Yashar, a two-time MechSE grad (BSME 1997, MSME 1998). David currently serves as deputy chief of the Building Energy and Environment Division of the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

“I looked up to [my dad] a lot, which definitely influenced my decision,” the Virginia native said of coming to Illinois.

Like Tonarelli, Zachary became involved with ASME as a freshman, serving as its president this past academic year.

“Being president has been very exciting and rewarding,” he said. “I’ve loved getting to meet and connect with people and become more involved in the department.”

He also joined the Illini Solar Car mechanical sub-team as well as the space RSO Liquid Rocketry, where he discovered an interest in aerospace propulsion as an engine team member.

“My involvement with Liquid Rocketry really set me on a different course,” he said, noting that he’s considering graduate school like his father.

For David, Illinois was also a family affair. “Illinois was the first school that I was really interested in,” said the Chicago native, noting that his older brother also attended the U of I and studied materials science. “I only applied to Illinois. I got in and that was that.”

He also met his wife, Shawnna, while on campus. “We both worked as lifeguards for the pool at Kenney Gym,” he recalled. “We were staying on campus for the summer and made a lot of great friends and had a lot of fun.” Shawnna studied chemical engineering before continuing into law.

“The fact that I’m at the same school that both my parents went to has meant a lot to me,” Zachary said. “They get to come back and show me the places that they used to go.”

He interned this past summer in the Automation, Robotics, & Controls group at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

“From a very young age, [Zachary] used to take stuff apart with me and put it back together,” David said. “I was very willing to do projects with [him] like that because I really enjoyed it myself. I think [he] very naturally gravitated toward mechanical engineering, and I was happy to foster it.”