Class of 2025: Seniors to Remember

Charlie Neill cites his childhood passion for tinkering as fueling his interest in engineering, and his experience at a Jesuit high school with inspiring a love for formative education. He’s been able to combine the two as part of the first cohort of students in Boston College’s Human-Centered Engineering program that will graduate on May 19. A member of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, he has explored engineering as his vocation while nurturing his personal and spiritual dimensions through community service in the Boston area and abroad.

 Apparently, you were born an engineer—is that right?

You could probably say that. As a kid, I liked to tinker with things around the house or in the yard. One of my favorite things that I built was a trebuchet that I used to throw pebbles across our backyard. I had a copy of the book Backyard Ballistics, which my friends and I used to make things like potato cannons and tennis ball mortars. That last one always scared my mom a bit, but I was always doing things like that when I was younger.

Why study engineering at Boston College?

I loved my experience at the Jesuit high school I went to, so I wanted to continue that with a Jesuit education in college. When I heard that BC was launching an engineering program it just felt like the perfect fit.

As a soon-to-be graduate of the Human-Centered Engineering program, I can say I’ve loved my experience here. I’ve become close with many of my professors, especially the ones I’ve had in my project-based courses. Being part of the first cohort, I’ve gotten used to the syllabus disclaimer that reminds us that “this class has never been offered before.” But honestly, being included in the creation of a new program only made my experience richer and made me feel like I really left my mark on the department.

I’ve also loved how collaborative this program is. All the engineers in my grade know each other, share knowledge, and work together, especially because we have so much project-based learning. It’s been amazing to see the program grow over my time here, and I’ll be thrilled to see how it continues to evolve.

Were you able to apply what you learned in the classroom?

Absolutely. Last summer, I interned with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, Me., on documenting innovations in aquaculture, which involved writing about creative technology on oyster, scallop, and kelp farms. I was able to see the complexity of issues on the working waterfront, and published articles for a variety of audiences. My capstone engineering project was to design an automated rain gauge for the National Weather Service to use in their community science outreach. I think the combination of engineering design with a positive social impact is exactly what my major is all about.

What service opportunities have you pursued?

I joined 4Boston, one of the service clubs on campus, during my first year at BC. I’ve been a teaching assistant at the Jackson-Mann Community Center, tutoring adults learning English. As a student leader this past year, I took on a role organizing service and weekly reflection sessions for a small group of BC students. Being part of the Jackson-Mann and 4Boston communities has been a great way to get off campus and meet new and fantastic people.

You’ve gone abroad during your years at BC, too.

I studied for a semester in Australia, where I took courses in wind energy, environmental engineering, and Aboriginal Australian history. I also spent a summer in Luxembourg volunteering for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and practicing my French. I helped staff JRS’s community center, basically a “living room” where people could come in for tea and snacks, to socialize, to play games, and to take a break from the refugee camp. I also helped organize a summer program for unaccompanied minors, where I became close with a lot of the kids.

Even though it wasn’t related to engineering at all, this gave me a lot of perspective on what’s important to me going forward. I realized how much I value being able to work face-to-face with people, and traveling somewhere new by myself gave me more confidence to try living in new places in the future.

And somehow you found the time to be involved in club rugby, too?

I started playing rugby in high school, and was glad to continue at BC. It’s a great community, and I love the sport. One of my favorite things about rugby is that really anyone can play. At BC we have two teams: the more competitive A side, and developmental B side. As the vice-president of the team this past year, I organized a B-side-only tournament to bring some competitive spirit to all the guys on the team. We called it “The B-Pot”—a play on the Beanpot—and played on the new rugby field on the Messina College campus. We even took home the inaugural trophy!

You’ve got a job lined up already. Do you see it as a continuation of what you’ve done at BC?

Yes, I’ll be working at Acorn Engineering in Portland as a design engineer. One of the things I like about it is they do a lot of mission-driven work, such as mixed-income housing developments and environmental projects. I think that’s very in line with what I’ve done in my BC engineering degree and I’m very excited to get started.

Looking back at your day-to-day life at BC, what do you think you’ll miss?

Well, I certainly will miss just hanging out at 245 Beacon Street, especially in the makerspace or projects lab, which I’ve used for a lot of my projects. But I’ve also really liked being in the common room in my residence halls, like Voute, which is where I’m living now. I love to have a morning cup of coffee while chatting with my roommates and friends. It’s a small moment that happens every day, and I’ve come to cherish moments like those a lot.