- Major: Biomedical Engineering
- Hometown: Liberty Township, Ohio
- Graduation Year: May 2023
- E-mail: lgutzwil@vols.utk.edu
Ambassador Profile
Hi future Vols!
My name is Leah Gutzwiller (she/her) and I am a Senior Biomedical Engineering major in the Tickle College of Engineering. I am from Liberty Township, Ohio which is about 25 minutes North of Cincinnati. University of Tennessee was the school I toured the most and after applying to 11 schools, ultimately fell in love with. Some of the main highlights I enjoy include: being far from home, but not too far, the honors and honors engineering programs I'm in at UT, and the biomedical engineering faculty and staff.
I have wanted to be a biomedical engineer since seventh grade and the Tickle College of Engineering has helped me shape that career path. I used to think I was more interested in prosthetic design, but after starting class, talking with my engineering advisor, and biomedical engineering faculty, I realized my true passion lies in research and design on a cellular scale. After undergraduate I plan to pursue a PhD in clinical and translation science with the hopes of becoming a clinical and translational scientist in an industry or hospital setting. My engineering advisor and faculty mentors have been great guides as I have figured out this next step in my professional life.
This interest in research and design was cemented during an internship in summer of 2021 that was focused on undergraduate research. The internship was funded by the National Science Foundation and was called BME CUReS Cancer REU. The 10-week internship at University of Texas, Austin paired me with two faculty members to do cancer research with and I presented an abstract of that research at the National Biomedical Engineering Conference in the fall. The following summer I worked in a cardio-oncology lab on the University of Tennessee's campus with Dr. Colleen Crouch. I submitted two abstracts to the same conference will be presenting those in the fall of 2022.
UT has also given me the opportunity to recognize my interests in engineering and beyond. I am heavily involved with the Tickle College of Engineering through Engineering Ambassadors, the Grand Challenge Honors Program, Biomedical Engineering Society, of which I am the President, and Society of Women Engineers, of which I am a mentor through the SWEeties program. I am grateful that the college offers so many programs for me to stay involved outside of class time. I also have benefited from university programming such as the Haslam Scholars Program, Honors and Scholars Ambassadors, SGA Student Senate, of which I am the Chair, and Leadership Knoxville Scholars. These programs and activities help me to be a well-rounded engineer by giving me the opportunity to take part in interdisciplinary classes, volunteering, global learning, and social justice initiatives. All of these organizations have given me valuable professional resources as well as relationships that have truly defined my time at the University of Tennessee. I would recommend becoming involved whether in the Tickle College of Engineering, on the UT campus, or in the greater Knoxville community.
While I love being an engineering student and I take pride in all of my involvement on campus, I always benefit from taking a break from the craziness of campus life. I have had the opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy, and I will be studying abroad again in January in Dublin, Ireland. These have been great cultural experiences that have also given me opportunities to reset and recenter while taking general education requirements for my degree. I also like taking time to explore new parts of Knoxville, go to a game at Neyland, and play intramurals with my friends.
I am so excited for you wherever you are in your college journey! Coming to Rocky Top has been so impactful for me and is one of the best decisions of my life. I can't wait to welcome you to this "home, sweet home" in Knoxville! Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions about the college, University, city, or myself! I wish you luck and peace in your college decision making process and GO BIG ORANGE!
