ISE student to represent college as graduation marshal

Mary Mackenzie Calvert, a senior in the Auburn University Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, will lead the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering as the graduation marshal for the summer 2022 commencement ceremony.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to represent the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering as graduation marshal,” Calvert said. “I am so thankful to my classmates and the faculty for helping me get here!”

Originally from Birmingham, Calvert always enjoyed problem-solving and fixing things. She discovered a love for math and science in high school, which led her to study engineering in college.

“I went into the engineering program as a civil engineer, but through the engineering orientation course, I discovered industrial and systems engineering,” Calvert said. “The parts that excited me about civil engineering were what industrial and systems engineering was all about, making processes or projects more efficient.”

During her time at Auburn, Calvert has been involved with the Society of Women Engineers, Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers, Auburn Panhellenic and the Emerge Leadership Program. She has also completed an internship at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama and worked as a student tutor through the college of engineering.

“The tutoring job has taught me how to communicate something I understand in a way that someone else will understand, which is an important skill for an engineer to be able to explain ideas to a non-engineer,” she said. “Auburn has given me many opportunities to obtain experience to prepare me for the real world.”

What Calvert enjoyed most about being an industrial and systems engineering student were the professors that drive students to be the best they can be.

“Professors provide office hours and ample opportunities to understand the subject if the student wishes to,” she said. “The faculty creates a positive and easily accessible atmosphere to obtain help in a subject, advice during the job search and guidance on what courses to take. My Auburn experience was great! I made plenty of lifelong friendships and obtained a degree that I cannot wait to apply in my career.”

Calvert will soon begin her career as a process engineer with Envision AESC in Smyrna, Tennessee. She has always wanted to live in Nashville and loved the projects and atmosphere that Envision AESC provided. Her long-term career goal is to work in the healthcare field to solve the inefficiencies in everyday processes in a hospital.