Launchpad for Leaders: How the Baylor ECS Career Center Powers Real-World Readiness

When Harrison Tognela arrived at Baylor University after a detour through college soccer and a pandemic-fueled pivot into computer programming, he never imagined he'd graduate with internships at Tesla, Walmart, Microsoft, and Amazon under his belt. But that’s exactly what happened — and it’s a trajectory Tognela (BSI ’24) credits, in large part, to the unique support structure within Baylor University’s School of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS).

At the heart of his professional development was the ECS Career Center — a resource he says played a pivotal role in helping him access competitive opportunities early in his academic journey.

"I owe my entire career to their help," Tognela said. "If you, as a student, allow yourself to be known by ECS faculty and staff, they will do everything in their power to help you find the job that most aligns with your goals.”

Harrison Tognela, BSI '24

Career Services, Reimagined

According to Assistant Director Reina Wiseman, for Baylor ECS students, career development isn’t an afterthought — it’s embedded in the culture. Wiseman, who joined the ECS Career Center four years ago, has helped redefine what career support looks like in a high-tech, high-touch academic environment.

“Our goal is to support students not just in finding a job, but in discovering the path that best fits their goals, skills, and values,” Wiseman explained. “It’s about being a guide as they explore what kind of engineer — or person — they want to become.”

Baylor Career Center is centralized within the university, but individual staff office in the academic units of the students they serve. The ECS Career Center, with two staff located in Rogers (Reina Wiseman and Kristen Revard), is woven into the daily life of the school. That proximity matters. From the moment students arrive on campus, they have access to tailored advising, résumé-building, mock interviews, research opportunities, and employer connections specific to engineering and computer science disciplines.

Reina Wiseman, Assistant Director, Baylor Career Center

Hands-On Experience, Competitive Advantage

One of the strongest indicators of ECS’s success is its emphasis on experiential learning — internships, research, and student-led engineering projects. Wiseman notes that among Spring 2024 graduates, 91% of ECS students who completed internships or research found employment within six months of graduation.

“Classroom projects are essential, but employers want to see applied experience,” she said. “They want to know you’ve worked in a real environment, solved real problems, and collaborated in a team setting.”

Christina Choi, an ECS alumna, turned a summer student internship at Samsung into a full-time role. Choi (BSME ’24), now at Samsung Austin Semiconductor, cites her experience working as a student employee with ECS Career Center as critical to her professional development.

“As a Career Center assistant, I was constantly surrounded by resources, guidance, and mentorship. It was a space I could always stop by to ask questions about my goals or get support in preparing for interviews, especially as I was navigating my first professional opportunities,” Choi reflected. “Their encouragement and advice gave me the confidence to step into unfamiliar processes and grow through them, as well as supporting other students in the same way I had been supported.”

The ECS Career Center also encourages participation in student organizations like Aero at Baylor and Baja SAE, where students gain hands-on design, teamwork, and technical presentation experience — all skills highly valued by employers.

Christina Choi, BSME '24

Built-In Employer Access

Behind the scenes, Wiseman and the Career Center team prioritize cultivating strategic relationships with leading industry partners, including Lockheed Martin, ExxonMobil, L3Harris, and Paycom.

These aren’t one-off visits; they’re ongoing collaborations. Employers routinely participate in industry nights, info sessions, career fairs, and even classroom engagements.

“When they hire one of our students and see how well-prepared they are, they come back,” Wiseman said. “It creates a pipeline that keeps growing.”

Tognela’s internship with Tesla started with a unique introduction — literally. Career Center Director Tom Brooks personally introduced him to Tesla recruiters visiting campus, going so far as to help facilitate the connection by watching over their cars during a campus tour. That lighthearted moment led to a summer internship, which led to Amazon, Microsoft, and ultimately his current full-time role.

“Each company taught me something different,” Harrison recalled. “They threw me into the deep end, and it was sink or swim. But because of the preparation I had from Baylor, I swam.”

Baylor Career Center staff Reina Wiseman, Tom Brooks, and Ken Wiseman (now retired).

A Growing School, Growing Support

While ECS is still young compared to other Baylor schools, it’s quickly expanding in both scope and size. In the last academic year, 263 students graduated across all levels, up from 211 in 2023-24 and 145 in 2022-23. As Baylor looks to double the enrollment of the School of Engineering and Computer Science, its Career Center is evolving in parallel while committed to keeping a student-centric model.

Wiseman says the strength of the program lies in its deeply relational approach: “We’re small, but that’s our superpower. We know our students. We know their stories. That gives us the ability to guide them more effectively.”

For her, it’s personal. A Baylor graduate herself, Wiseman recently earned her master’s degree at the university. “This is more than a job,” she said. “It’s about calling, purpose, and walking with students as they grow into who they’re meant to be.”

Baylor Career Day Spring 2025

Pay-it-forward Leadership

More than pipelines and job placements, the ECS Career Center is cultivating a culture of pay-it-forward leadership. Alumni like Tognela, who is now a senior program manager of eCommerce for Whole Foods Market and Amazon Grocery, regularly mentor current students.

“Every time a Baylor student reaches out, I respond. I want to help, because so many people helped me,” Tognela said.

He cites the School’s emphasis on servant leadership as to why Baylor ECS interns and/or graduates stand out among the rest. Whether through mentoring, innovation, or technical excellence, students are encouraged to lead by serving others — both in the workplace and beyond.

As Wiseman puts it, “We’re not just preparing students for jobs. We’re preparing them for lives of impact.”