“I was rejected by all 10 grad schools I applied to,” says Badier Velji ’07, former ASHMC [associated student body] president. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

It’s hard to believe news like this would make anyone feel thankful.

But Velji couldn’t have been more relieved because it told him that he was not ready for a doctoral program, and that the graduate schools were not ready for him.

The rejections turned out for the best.

Two weeks after graduation, Velji was set to begin working as an engineer for Energy Innovations, one of Idealab’s research and development companies.

In his position for just over a year now, Velji has already had some amazing accomplishments. For example, he is one of the main builders of the company’s most recent product release, the Sunflower™.

A major advancement in the solar products industry, this tracker is not only simple to manufacture, but is also cost-efficient and increases energy production by 38 percent. In addition, the Sunflower™ is the only model of its type that has passed industry regulations thus far.

Velji contributes part of his success to HMC's broad-based approach to education, the emphasis on real-world experience, the intensive fast-paced environment and the college's E80 course.

“E80 takes you beyond thinking about a problem,” he says. “It makes you think about all aspects of the problem and be mindful of all of the consequence of your actions. This is what really turned me into an engineer.”

Velji sees himself staying with Energy Innovations for a while because of the challenges it continues to present. “[Idealab] is an incubator company,” he shares. “So, they are always turning out new companies every year, which always provides new challenges and new risks.”

His advice to fellow Mudders: “Make sure whatever you pick, that you will be happy. You are the one who is ultimately going to live with that decision.”