Electrical Engineering's own Dr. Cammy Peterson received the first annual Inspiring Learning Award - Experiential Learning from BYU Careers and Experiential Learning on 16 April, 2021.
Four people received the award out of 400 nominees and 1,467 BYU faculty members. According to Careers and Experiential Learning, the award goes to nominees who inspire students through co-curricular experience and provide an exceptional level of student engagement and mentorship. Peterson received the award in the Experiential Learning category and called it a great honor.
“I think all the faculty at BYU are here because we care about and want to help our students,” she said. “It is really fantastic to know that those efforts are working.”
Nominations come from the students themselves, who included comments describing Peterson.
“The skills I have learned from her have transferred to many other areas of my life,” one student said. “I now have confidence that I can do hard things and that I can research and find answers."
“Because of her, I am not only dedicated to lifelong learning, but also to helping inspire the upcoming generation of engineers as she inspired me,” another said.
Peterson said it’s important to her to have a classroom environment where her students feel comfortable asking questions. She tries to be adaptable and change her teaching approach according to what their questions and feedback indicate they need.
She also wants her students to know that if they persevere, hard things will get easier over time. The advice she has for them and all students is “hang with it!”
One student nominator credits their confidence in part to Peterson’s mentorship.
“Dr. Peterson as a role model has helped me believe that I can succeed and feel like my voice is heard and valued,” they said. “This confidence has given me the desire to keep learning all I can to be productive in my future career.”
The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department congratulates Dr. Peterson on receiving this well-deserved honor.