When people come across the word “engineering”, they picture tangled computer wires, heavy machinery and complicated equations.
But when Shealana Booker ’26 (General Engineering) walks into her engineering classes at R.B Annis Hall, her eyes are not drawn to the lab tables, but the people surrounding them.
“I am a very social person,” Booker said with a smile. “I love meeting new people and hearing about people’s stories and learning more about people.”
That love for connection is what drew Booker to her passion: track.
Booker was recruited out of Marion, Ohio, where she competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes as well as several relay races. “I love being a part of a team,” added Booker. “Everything I do is team-oriented.”
To Booker, track was more than a sport; it was a part of her identity. The University of Indianapolis gave her the opportunity to live out that passion. But before she even competed in a meet at UIndy, Booker injured her knee in a motorcycle crash, putting her career in jeopardy.
“I just moved to a new place,” said Booker. “The one thing I was looking forward to, I never got to actually enjoy.”
She made several attempts to lace up the running shoes again, but the comeback attempt just led to more problems.
“I felt like the negatives were outweighing the positives,” Booker admitted. “I was just constantly hurting myself. My body was always tired and I was always in pain. It was setting me back for school.”
Booker was forced to make the hardest decision of her life: she stepped away.
“Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the things that you really care about,” Booker said. “My body and my health was something that I really care about.”
Although she never competed, UIndy Track allowed her to stay on as a coach, keeping her scholarship intact and preserving the team environment she loved.
But still, the inability to compete left a void in her college experience. That is where her second passion, engineering, became an outlet.
Booker’s love for engineering started when she was introduced to VEX Robotics, an educational program that teaches students to design and build robots. Booker’s middle school robotics team, Butter Nation, named after her love for toast, finished in the top 10 at the world championships.
“I fell in love with the hands-on part of it,” Booker said. “With engineering, there are a lot of problem-solving skills. This is the issue, what can we do to fix that? Seeing that end result is just always worth it to me.”
Booker has always loved animals and initially wanted to be a veterinarian, but admitted she “doesn’t do blood.” That realization steered her interest toward biomechanical engineering, a field that involved problem-solving without being directly involved in medical procedures.
Black women remain significantly underrepresented in engineering, a reality that weighed heavily on Booker as she first stepped onto campus. But that unease quickly faded when she met her two best friends, Zy’Aire and Makenna, who shared her background.
“Getting to meet more African American women who are engineers specifically was so reassuring,” Booker stated. “It was like shining a light down on UIndy. It just makes it feel like home.”
Zy’Aire and Makenna have supported Shealana every step of the way and helped remind her that, “At UIndy there is a place for everyone.”
Booker got the same reassurance when she walked through the doors of R.B Annis Hall. She said professors, such as Dr. Joseph Herzog, “Don’t just want you to just pass, they want you to succeed in life.”
To Shealana, that priority was obvious when she began classes her freshman year. It was not your typical lecture where the teacher sits behind a computer screen; it was more hands-on. She was assigned projects and clients, she conducted interviews and built prototypes.
At the R.B Annis School of Engineering, students like Booker do not just learn about engineering; they experience it. Through the DesignSpine curriculum, they start problem-solving their freshman year, instead of waiting until after graduation.
“This isn’t just busy work. You’re not at school to just get an A,” explained Booker. “You’re at school to truly make a difference in somebody’s life.”
Through DesignSpine, Booker has already made a difference in many lives. She helped develop a prototype that improved water access in Africa, a project that was featured on WTHR. Booker also designed an automatic pet feeder, using her own pets — her dog, Loki, and cats Felix and Nova — as test subjects. This year, Booker is working with IU Health to create a specialized catheter for pregnant women with lower urinary tract obstruction.
Through UIndy, Booker has learned that a good engineer does not just build strong prototypes; they also build strong connections.
“I don’t want to just be the person [who] goes in and fixes stuff,” said Booker. “I want you to be able to rely on me. Let’s build a relationship.”
Booker has seen the power of those connections firsthand. The coaches who helped ease the pain of a career-ending injury, her friends who supported her as she broke new barriers and the professors who invested in her success.
“Throughout all the trials and tribulations I’ve had throughout college, which has been plenty, I’ve always had the resources to help,” said Booker. “Because UIndy actually cares.”
For every problem the world presents, Booker does what great engineers do: she finds a solution. But for her, engineering is not just about equations — it is about people, and making sure no one faces their challenges alone.