From uncertainty to innovation

As Elina Bishoyi ’29, prepared to enter college, she knew she wanted to pursue a career that blended her love of science and technology with products that help people in their daily lives. The challenge, she says, was how to do it.

At the University of Cincinnati, she found her calling. A mechanical engineering major in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science, she is developing the technological and multidisciplinary tools she needs to pursue her dream.

“UC has cleared up that vision for me and given me the opportunities to explore what helping people looks like,” Bishoyi says. “I found the terminology for it finally: it’s human-centered design.”

Human-centered design is a creative process that matches the technical genius of engineering and robotics with the physical, psychological and emotional needs of humans. The result is products that enhance or even save lives, such as smartphones, cars that anticipate and prevent crashes, or drones that deliver medications to people in remote locations.  

“It’s a huge area in the industry that I didn’t know existed until I came to UC and worked on the projects that I did,” says Bishoyi, who has also earned a Neil Armstrong Moonshot Award for Commercial Innovation. “Through NEXT Innovation Scholars, I really learned what human-centered design means in any industry. That was an eye-opening journey for me.”

Bishoyi’s academic courses have enabled her to learn technology fundamentals that she can one day apply to an industry setting, while co-ops and NEXT Innovation projects have provided hands-on experience. “I’m understanding why products work the way they do, why things are the way they are, and then how I can go and take this knowledge out into the world and make it my own.”

Bishoyi is grateful to the donors who have funded her scholarships. “My journey and what my future looks like wouldn’t be possible without the structure and the people who have supported it,” she says.

Growing up in Mason, Ohio, Bishoyi had early interactions with UC. She performed with CCM’s high school band program — the Cincinnati Youth Wind Ensemble — and her brother participated in UC engineering camps. “I’ve been part of UC throughout my life,” she says.

She chose UC in part because of scholarship support and the academic flexibility UC provided. “I visited other schools where your major defined you,” she says. “But at UC, they embraced that great space where you could be more than just an engineering or business student. I found lots of opportunities through co-op and organizations that were outside my major.”

Bishoyi was accepted into the Lindner College of Business Honors Program out of high school but had a change of heart during Bearcat Bound Orientation the summer before her freshman year. While touring the College of Engineering, she was awestruck watching students working on robots in their laboratories. She had harbored the goal of starting her own business but now realized she needed to first understand how and why the technologies worked. “I was very naïve,” Bishoyi says with a smile. 

Bishoyi transferred into the College of Engineering and Applied Science, where she was quickly and warmly welcomed. She has worked in Dr. Ou Ma’s Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Systems Lab and with Givaudan Flavors Corporation. She will perform design work for Marathon Petroleum this fall. While collaborating with students from different disciplines, she worked with a luxury fragrance brand in the United Kingdom. And through the CEAS Tribunal where she is now a senator, she helped organize the 2026 CEAS EXPO for over 900 student presenters and 215 judges. 

Featured image at top: Elina Bishoyi is a student in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science. Photo/UC Alumni Association