Alumni News – March 2026

The 2025 graduating class at Roanoke College included the first cohort of students to earn an engineering degree, and those students are boasting a 100% placement rate in jobs or continuing education. They’ve gone on to work for companies including Branch Civil, Carter Machinery, Cameron Construction and Dynax America Incorporation, and graduate school at Northwestern University.

Tony Saade ’25 took a different route than most before landing at Roanoke College. After earning his associate degree from Virginia Western Community College, he spent a year studying psychology and political science at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He then left and started his own 3D-printing manufacturing business and later earned his CAD Career Studies Certificate from Virginia Western. To minimize debt, he decided to finish his four-year degree at Roanoke College, which offers tuition remission to children of Roanoke employees.  Saade’s mom works in dining services.

Saade chose to study engineering to help others. He now works as a technical engineer at Dynax America Incorporation, designing and building tools for operators and technicians. 

Like Roanoke College, Saade believes real-world experience is a gamechanger for your career and finding what you love. He also advises engineering students to pursue courses in the arts and humanities. Saade said, “engineering is ultimately about solving problems that affect people’s lives, and the best solutions can come from unexpected sources of inspiration.”

Drew Carlson ’25 was drawn to Roanoke College for its new engineering program and the school’s locale. For as long as he can remember, mechanical projects like working on cars and bikes have been a source of joy for him.

An engineering degree allowed him to more deeply understand his hobbies. He now works as a project engineer for the construction company Branch Civil, where he interned during his junior year.

After studying engineering all four years of high school, the transition to studying engineering felt like the best next step for Erinson Romero-Archila ’25. With a specific interest in information technology, he was able to work in Roanoke’s IT department as a student, which led to a full-time position in the department upon completion of his degree.

Romero-Archila encourages students to try out different areas of engineering.

“If you find yourself coming back to that area, especially working on it in your free time for enjoyment, then dive into that further,” he said. “Don't overlook the signs of something great.”

We're always looking for Maroons doing big things! If you have an exciting update or new mailing address, visit this link to share.