“Our Bioengineering Department, the College of Engineering, and the whole of Northeastern are lucky to have Kiley York for her leadership and service,” says Teaching Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Affairs in Bioengineering Timothy Lannin. “She is a force for good, and her merits are well-aligned with those of the Compass Award.”
Professor Lannin is one of many lauding the achievements of Kiley York, a bachelor of science in bioengineering candidate with concentration in medical devices with honors distinction. Her praise is well deserved. During Kiley’s years at Northeastern, she has held several leadership roles, including President of the NU Biomedical Engineering Society, Vice President of NU Engineers Without Borders, and Honors Ambassador and Honors Living Learning Assistant Presidential Ambassador for the John Martinson Honors Program. Lydia Bird, Kiley’s mentor in the Honors Mentorship Program, says, “Kiley puts her all into everything she does and leads with dedication and kindness.”
Maintaining a 3.87 GPA is no easy feat, but Kiley has done that while masterfully, balancing club participation, ambassador programs, and volunteer opportunities—and exceling in all. She considers her most significant achievement to be organizing fall and spring co-op career fairs for undergraduate engineering students for the past three years. “The change in planning structure that I have implemented has caused for growth of the
event,” she says. “The number of companies and undergraduate students has increased, as well as we have expanded the event to be held in two spaces—the McLeod Suited and Curry Ballroom—as opposed to just one (Curry Ballroom).”
In addition to her extensive accomplishments on campus, Kiley has participated in notable global experiences. During the Honors Dialogue of Civilizations program in Chile, she completed interdisciplinary coursework combining microbiology research and landscape photography, gaining scientific and cultural perspectives through community-based volunteering. Her second global experience was part of the John Martinson Honors Program (JMHP) Self-Directed Global Experience (SDGE)—one of JMHP’s more demanding academic opportunities. In this, Kiley explored South Africa’s history, culture, and landscapes through photography.
In terms of professional development, Kiley participated in a bioengineering co-op at Sage Product Development—engineering consulting for medical devices—where she supported multisite clinical trials and prototyped fixtures and part stand-ins for testing. While doing an R&D engineering co-op at Fresenius Medical Care North America, she designed and debugged reliability improvements for existing products and those under development.
“Across all contexts, Kiley stands out for her steadiness, compassion, and quiet but impactful leadership,” says Nancy Watkins, former assistant director for community service and civic engagement and honors living learning coordinator. “Her presence consistently elevates the experiences of her peers and the communities she serves.”
Kiley plans to pursue a Masters of Mechanical Engineering in the Northeastern PlusOne program.
