What happens when you combine an extroverted and joyful personality with an engineer鈥檚 precision and focus? Meet major Evelyn Marx.
鈥淏eing at Vanderbilt, I鈥檝e learned to better trust myself and have more confidence in my passions, even if they鈥檙e a little bit more out of the box,鈥� said the Columbus, Ohio, native.
Marx started her engineering journey early, taking multiple college classes in high school and joining the university鈥檚 underwater robotics team. That鈥檚 where she first discovered her passion for electrical engineering.
BOLD CAREER PATH
Here at Vanderbilt, she worked as an intern with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency as a Department of Defense SMART Scholar her first year, and she鈥檚 been active with year-round internships with the DOD since.
She鈥檚 also been active with the as an intern, expanding her skills by gaining a greater understanding of the needs for future leaders.
鈥淢entors at the institute have helped me learn about modern conflicts and politics and how they tie into the scientific work that I focus on,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was thrilled to be part of the institute launch and learn from the lecture series and the annual summit. Hopefully later in my career, I’ll become a contributor and really give back.鈥�
She鈥檚 been doing all of this while balancing her sorority, clubs and time with friends.
We sat down with Evelyn to learn more about her and her Vanderbilt experience.
1. WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO VANDERBILT?
鈥淢y first exposure to Vanderbilt was through my brother, Murray. He was a freshman when I was applying, and I just fell in love with the campus. He had such a positive experience, even during COVID. He graduated from Vandy in 2023, and now he鈥檚 a second-year medical student at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t was also very apparent to me the innovation that鈥檚 going on at Vanderbilt. When I did my tours, I was overwhelmingly impressed by the School of Engineering and the cutting-edge robotics going on. I remember walking into Featheringill for the first time and just feeling a connection there,鈥� Marx said.
2. WHERE HAVE YOU FOUND A SENSE OF COLLABORATION?
鈥淚 think collaboration is the only way to really learn in engineering. You can read every textbook. You can walk through every lab manual by yourself. But until you鈥檙e working with a team of people and learning about project management and building as a group, I think you really aren鈥檛 fully learning to be engineers,鈥� she said.
鈥淢y senior project has been the most robust and rewarding team project I鈥檝e ever done. The project is for and they are the sickest student org on campus. I鈥檓 helping them to create a data acquisition system with a team of three other electrical engineers. What that means is that we鈥檙e taking a bunch of sensors, placing them all over the race car so that they can get data about the vehicle and then create a better battery design for the next year鈥檚 race car,鈥� Marx said.
鈥淚鈥檓 also definitely on the social side for an engineer. A lot of my friends are in engineering with me. I鈥檓 very involved in my sorority Zeta Tau Alpha and the Jewish center on campus. And then, of course, Women in Computing has been such a great source of connection to me throughout college.鈥�
3. WHAT IS A CORE VANDERBILT MEMORY YOU鈥橪L TAKE WITH YOU?
鈥淥bviously, having my brother here has been amazing. When Vanderbilt beat Alabama, we were together at the football game, and we got to go on the field together. That is a moment that I will never forget in my entire Vanderbilt experience. I think it just made me so much prouder to be a Commodore. I didn鈥檛 even know that was possible. So that鈥檚 a big moment to me.鈥�
鈥淎nother big one is when I met the former director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, on campus. That was an incredible experience. He was at the Summit on Modern Conflict [and Emerging Threats] last spring. Meeting these experts and people who鈥檝e really done such amazing things with their career is incredible. You can鈥檛 get that anywhere else.鈥�
4. WHAT鈥橲 SOMETHING YOU WANT TO CONTINUE AFTER GRADUATION?
鈥淚 really care about more women entering the field of engineering. I feel like a lot of things that I鈥檝e done at Vanderbilt through clubs and mentoring have hopefully encouraged more women to be leaders in science. And when I become an engineering professor, which is my goal, supporting and inspiring women is something that I鈥檓 going to be able to continue through my career. Don鈥檛 listen to self-doubt, and pursue your passions in any fields, even if it seems intimidating.鈥�
5. FINISH THE SENTENCE, 鈥淭O ME, VANDERBILT IS鈥︹��
鈥淚 think the obvious answer is 鈥榟ome.鈥� It鈥檚 been a home for me since my brother got here in 2019. My dad passed right before I started at Vanderbilt, and he knew Vanderbilt was my dream school too. So, it鈥檚 been in my life for so long. I鈥檝e met my forever friends. I鈥檝e found my career passions. I鈥檝e learned more about myself. And I鈥檓 so grateful.鈥�
Hear from Evelyn in this Instagram reel:
- Look for more stories in the Class of 2025 storytelling series.
- Meet members of the Class of 2025 building community in meaningful ways.
- Meet four members of the Class of 2025 who are transforming lives by collaborating in engineering, medicine, mentorship and education.
- Follow all the latest Commencement 2025 news and updates on the .
- Share your Commencement photos and tag #VU2025.
听