{"694143":{"#nid":"694143","#data":{"type":"news","title":"ISyE Alumni Share Lessons from Senior Design and Beyond","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFor students in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.isye.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EH. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE)\u003C\/a\u003E, Senior Design is a chance to put years of classroom learning to work on a real problem for a real organization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut some of its most valuable lessons extend well beyond the technical solution.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFour ISyE alumni recently returned to campus for a panel discussion with current undergraduates to reflect on their own Senior Design experiences and share advice about what students can expect after graduation. Their conversation included topics such as building confidence, working with different personalities, communicating with colleagues, taking risks, navigating career changes, and learning when the \u201cperfect\u201d answer is not necessarily the most useful one.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe panel featured Alexia Borden (BSIE 2001), chief administrative officer at Brasfield \u0026amp; Gorrie; Abigail Chambless (BSIE 2021, MSIE 2023), senior analyst at The Home Depot; Seth Lytle (BSIE 2003), founder and chief executive officer of VinoBarrel; and Brandon Melton (BSIE 2004, MBA 2018), founder and principal of MVH Advisors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEach had once been in the students\u2019 position. Borden worked on improving efficiency in a manufacturing facility, Chambless developed natural-disaster forecasts for Cox Communications, Lytle worked with SweetWater Brewing Company, and Melton completed his project with Delta Air Lines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThose experiences reflected the purpose of Senior Design, ISyE\u2019s capstone course for fourth-year students, who work in teams to tackle real-world problems for industry partners. Beyond technical ability, students must manage deadlines, communicate with clients, work through differing perspectives and deliver recommendations with real consequences for an organization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELearning to Work with People\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen asked what students should prioritize during their first several years in the workforce, Chambless pointed to emotional intelligence and people skills. Technical knowledge may help someone solve a problem, but success also requires knowing how to communicate with colleagues and become part of an organization.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELytle encouraged students to take risks and build confidence, pairing that confidence with humility.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGraduating from a highly ranked program may open doors, but professional success still depends on the ability to listen, collaborate, and work effectively with others, he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBorden reflected on the confidence that comes from making it through Georgia Tech. Students have already learned how to tackle difficult problems and keep going when an answer is not immediately apparent, habits that carry directly into the workplace.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMelton drew an especially direct connection to Senior Design. The experience forces students to interact with people in a professional environment and confront situations in which they may not immediately know what to do.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHis advice was simple: Don\u0027t panic. Learn, ask questions, and figure it out.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKnowing when Good is Good Enough\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe alumni also challenged students to reconsider some of the assumptions they might carry into their first jobs.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor Chambless, one important lesson was learning how the expectations of the workplace might differ from those in the classroom.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn academic environment often rewards showing every step that leads to an answer. Business can work differently. An 80% solution, Chambless told students, can sometimes be more valuable than waiting for perfection. The ability to iterate and improve matters.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELytle encouraged students to remember the people affected by their analytical work. Industrial engineers are constantly optimizing systems, but changes to those systems can also change people\u2019s jobs and daily lives. Approaching change with empathy, and looking at the entire system rather than simply the process or financial outcome, can lead to better decisions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMelton encouraged students to trust their abilities, explore opportunities and remain open to career paths that may initially feel less certain. Borden emphasized the importance of in-person relationships early in a career, particularly for building trust, communication and teamwork.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFinding a \u0022Superpower\u0022\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne student question shifted the conversation from succeeding at a job to figuring out what makes someone particularly good at it: How do you find your superpower?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe alumni returned to curiosity, relationships and experience. Chambless pointed to the intersection of relationships and problem-solving, while Lytle encouraged students to stay curious and learn who they are within a team.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBorden encouraged students to recognize what gives them energy and when they naturally connect with and help others. Melton urged students to leave their comfort zones, noting that conversations and relationships helped him develop strengths he might not otherwise have discovered.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe discussion ultimately brought students back to the larger lesson behind Senior Design.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA strong analytical foundation matters. But solving consequential problems also requires judgment, curiosity, empathy, communication, adaptability, and the confidence to move forward without having every answer.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFour alumni returned to the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) to share what they have learned about careers, collaboration, and finding success after Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Four alumni returned to the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) to share what they have learned about careers, collaboration, and finding success after Georgia Tech."}],"uid":"35874","created_gmt":"2026-11-13 16:56:39","changed_gmt":"2026-11-13 17:01:25","author":"Anna Akins","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-11-13T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-11-13T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681800":{"id":"681800","type":"image","title":"ISyE alumni share career advice and reflect on their Senior Design experiences with current undergraduate students (Photo Credit: Medha Gollakoti).","body":null,"created":"1794589023","gmt_created":"2026-11-13 16:57:03","changed":"1794589023","gmt_changed":"2026-11-13 16:57:03","alt":"ISyE alumni share career advice and reflect on their Senior Design experiences with current undergraduate students (Photo Credit: Medha Gollakoti).","file":{"fid":"266266","name":"Panel-2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel-2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel-2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1376897,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel-2.jpg?itok=8JKDdOZi"}},"681801":{"id":"681801","type":"image","title":"Panelists emphasized that technical ability is only part of professional success, pointing to communication, collaboration and emotional intelligence as skills that become increasingly important in the workplace (Photo Credit: Medha Gollakoti).","body":null,"created":"1794589023","gmt_created":"2026-11-13 16:57:03","changed":"1794589023","gmt_changed":"2026-11-13 16:57:03","alt":"Panelists emphasized that technical ability is only part of professional success, pointing to communication, collaboration and emotional intelligence as skills that become increasingly important in the workplace (Photo Credit: Medha Gollakoti).","file":{"fid":"266267","name":"Panel-1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel-1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel-1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":953386,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel-1.jpg?itok=juR1qeMr"}},"681802":{"id":"681802","type":"image","title":"The alumni panel brought together professionals with experience across organizations including Brasfield \u0026 Gorrie, The Home Depot and consulting and entrepreneurial ventures (Photo Credit: Medha Gollakoti).","body":null,"created":"1794589023","gmt_created":"2026-11-13 16:57:03","changed":"1794589023","gmt_changed":"2026-11-13 16:57:03","alt":"The alumni panel brought together professionals with experience across organizations including Brasfield \u0026 Gorrie, The Home Depot and consulting and entrepreneurial ventures (Photo Credit: Medha Gollakoti).","file":{"fid":"266268","name":"Panel4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel4.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel4.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":431942,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/11\/13\/Panel4.jpg?itok=y6GH1U5M"}}},"media_ids":["681800","681801","681802"],"groups":[{"id":"1242","name":"School of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE)"},{"id":"1243","name":"The Supply Chain and Logistics Institute (SCL)"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}