Erica Budler: Never a doubt

Erica Budler is a senior majoring in engineering management. Photo by B.A. Rupert.

Erica Budler has known since eighth grade that she wanted to be an engineer. Admiration for her brother, Nick Budler, a 2009 mechanical engineering graduate, was encouragement enough for her to choose Missouri S&T for her degree. Since starting classes, Budler says, “I have never had any doubt about my decision to come to Missouri S&T or my choice of major, engineering management.”

A native of Rogersville, Mo., Budler plans to graduate in December 2013. She is an active member of Tau Beta Pi, the oldest engineering honor society in the United States. She loves working out with friends, watching movies, cooking and playing golf.

Through internships at The Clorox Co., EATON Corp. and Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative, she was able to travel, another of her favorite pastimes. “Getting to see new cities, plants and people was exciting and I hope to be able to travel in my full-time job,” she says.

Thanks to those internships, Budler has put her coursework to use. “My engineering management classes have been beneficial to my internship and co-op experiences — it’s exciting to recognize concepts and methods that you have seen out on the job,” she says.

Of all the opportunities that Missouri S&T offers, she most enjoys the social ones. “I love being so close to so many friends,” she says. “The relationships I have developed over the years have been awesome.”

After graduation, Budler hopes to work in the manufacturing industry. “I really like consumer goods, because you get that sense of ownership of a product and the pride when you see that product on a shelf in a store,” she says.            

By Arielle Bodine