Student Leadership in Engineering: Bridget O’Connell Wins the Max Rumbaugh Leadership Award

In this episode of Beyond the Competition – the SAE University Programs Podcast, hosts Mike Sorg and Scott Schultz are joined by Gretchen Urenek and special guest Bridget O’Connell, president of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Women’s Baja SAE Team and winner of the Max Rumbaugh Outstanding Student Leadership Award. 

Bridget shares her journey from building and innovating on her team’s experimental tracked “tank-style” Baja vehicle to leading a student engineering team through design challenges, competition preparation, and leadership growth.

The conversation explores how SAE competitions shape engineering careers, what it takes to lead a successful Baja SAE team, and how hands-on competition experience helped Bridget land a career as a test engineer at Northrop Grumman after graduation. 

In this episode

• The Max Rumbaugh Outstanding Student Leadership Award and what it means for SAE student leaders

• Bridget’s experience leading the Embry-Riddle Women’s Baja SAE Team

• Designing and racing a tracked Baja vehicle that pushed competition innovation

• Lessons learned from team leadership and engineering decision-making

• How SAE competitions help students prepare for real engineering careers

• Advice for students stepping into leadership roles in engineering teams

• Why Baja SAE competitions are some of the most exciting engineering events to attend

Whether you’re a student competitor, engineering leader, or future SAE participant, this episode offers insights into leadership, innovation, and the real-world value of engineering competitions.