Achaiah Abul

High School Graduation Year: 2016
Year First Awarded the Carson Scholarship: 2015
Sponsored by: Heritage Foundation Endowment

Achaiah Abul is a two-time Carson Scholar, first awarded in 2015 as a junior in high school. He then went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2021. In addition to being named as a Carson Scholar, Achaiah is also a Bill Gates Millenium Scholar and Horatio Alger Scholar.

As a student at Embry-Riddle, Achaiah kept busy among multiple projects. He developed an algorithm to predict how fast trash cans at amusement parks fill using MATLAB. This algorithm would allow employees to know when each trashcan is reaching capacity so it can be emptied efficiently. On another project, Achaiah supervised 25 engineering students who were working on the NASA Rover challenge. For this challenge, he was able to answer many of their questions, work with them during collaborative brainstorming sessions, and make sure all teams reached their self-set goals. Achaiah was also the team lead for the CATIA RipStik Innovation Project. Under his leadership, his team was able to surpass the original product’s metrics with 20% more stability and 10% more safety factor – not to mention they received exceptional scores for both the project and the presentation.

After graduating, Achaiah became a patent examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for about a year. Following that position, he became a Field Engineer for Centennial Contractors Enterprise. Now, Achaiah has led many teams utilizing his Mechanical Engineering Degree and his experience with project management. He is currently an Associate Project Manager at CEG Solutions, an ESCO contractor.

A few other things about Achaiah: he has been a member of the National Society of Black Engineers since 2016 and is a mentor/tutor for Excellence Through Opportunity. He is also quite the polyglot, as he is fluent in French, proficient in Mandarin, and knows basic Spanish. In his free time, Achaiah enjoys playing tennis, running, hiking and reading. He enjoys reading sci-fi, nonfiction, and historical books. His favorite book is Tribe by Sebastian Junger, his favorite song is “Glory” by Victony and he loves to watch Apocalypto and Arrested Development.

When reflecting on his time as a Carson Scholar, Achaiah said, “Being a Carson Scholar early on instilled a sense of academic confidence that has stayed with me throughout my career. My advice to current scholars is to stay curious and never be afraid to step into fields where you are still learning – growth happens most when you are ‘green’ and open to new challenges.”