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Elora Elbert understands well that unexpected events can deeply influence big decisions. Through much of high school, the Hillsboro native thought she would study English or another liberal arts field in college. She enjoyed reading and writing, so the choice would be a natural progression.

But everything shifted after she took a computer science class at a summer camp designed to introduce young women to coding.

“It was fun, I was pretty good at it, and it all made sense,” Elbert said. “It also surprised me, because I’d never been too interested in STEM subjects until that class.”

Elbert started as a computer science major at ����Ӱ�� State. But one day, she flipped through a booklet of all College of Engineering majors and paused on nuclear engineering. The hands-on nature of the field sounded engaging, and its potential to mitigate climate change sparked more interest. She now expects to earn her nuclear engineering degree in spring 2026.

“I didn’t go into it with many expectations, but it’s been a little more difficult than I anticipated,” she said. “I definitely didn’t expect to spend all day every day in the library during finals week, but I’ve still really enjoyed it all.”

Another surprise was how tight-knit her cohort of about 30 students became.

Hands-on experience and peer support

“I really like the camaraderie,” Elbert said. “We all know each other, and many of us study together. Everyone’s willing to help out. And because the program is relatively small, I’ve had more opportunities to work as a research assistant, land internships, and start gaining experience early.”

Other opportunities have emerged as well. In April, Elbert joined about 20 other ����Ӱ�� State students at the American Nuclear Society Student Conference in New Mexico, where a poster on thermal hydraulics that she co-authored .

The research stemmed from her 2024 summer internship at Kairos Power in Alameda, California, where she worked on a molten-salt-cooled reactor design. The experience was a confidence booster, Elbert said, especially because the company entrusted her with meaningful and challenging hands-on work. This summer, she’s interning with Framatome in Richland, Washington, where she will focus on neutronics and core design in boiling water reactors.

After graduation, Elbert plans to keep her options open and always be ready to embrace unforeseen developments.

“I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately,” she said. “I may go to graduate school for a master’s degree, or I may decide to find a position in the industry. There’s still some time to figure it out.”