Alpha Sigma Phi - University of Washington

Undergraduate Feature >>> B ryan Bednarski is a man for all seasons. He is excelling in his field of electrical engineering with a bright future working for NASA when he graduates this year, he has worked internationally with Engineers Without Borders in Guate- mala, and he is an avid outdoorsman. His technical side is well balanced with compassion and love for people. Life for Bryan is a never-ending quest for more knowledge. He is brilliant, stalwart, passionate and conscientious, poised, straight-forward, focused, and well grounded. These qualities create a solid, intense core in Bryan Bednarski and he is already using them to change his world and the world of other people. Bryan sees himself as a collaborator. He makes an effort to always understand people and the way they want to be treated. He wants to know what motivates them and makes them feel loved. He tries his best to work with everyone. "It makes me happy to make other people happy," says Bryan. "I like to help them be successful and to be successful with them." This is one of his intense core values. Youngest of four boys living in a home of professional parents Bryan was born and raised in Pasadena, California. He is the youngest of four brothers and is the shortest at 6'1". Bryan describes his childhood with three brothers as "filled with energy, love, and support." Bryan says, "We got along well. My brothers were interested in my sports and they encouraged me all the time. I followed them into varsity football as a safety all four years and was a baseball pitcher. I loved the camaraderie of sports in high school, which made the transition to a fraternity very natural." Bryan grew up in a house of professionals. "My dad is a civil engi- neer. He works for the Metropolitan Water District in Los Angeles and sells water to 14 million people in L.A. and Orange County. My mom is a defense attorney and a public defender in a private prac- tice now." Bryan credits his mom for giving him the compassion to connect with people, to create professional relationships, to find out what motivates people, and to help them resolve problems. Fly fishing and climbing mountains brings life and perspective "Some of my most vivid childhood memories are with my dad fly fishing in the eastern Sierras. For hours and hours I would ask my dad question after question after question about everything. That is why I am a seeker of information today and want to help people create solutions to their problems." Bryan may work hard and think hard, but his favorite thing to do still is fly fishing and back packing. And Bryan has a philosophical reason as to why. "Fly fishing is something that doesn't immediately reward you. You take in all the elements of the river, which have to be perfect to attract a fish. You have to separate yourself from everything, focus, pick the right rig, and make the fish believe that you belong there. You may or may not get the reward, but it is a great renewing experience. Fly fishing isn't something that everyone knows how to do, so I like to help train people with necessary skills so that they can enjoy the relationship and experience with fly fishing. "Back packing takes me into nature and the great openness, which you cannot find anywhere else. Last September I climbed to the summit of Mt. Langley with my dad. It is the seventh-tallest peak in the U.S., reaching 14,026' on the crest of the Sierra Nevadas. It was a three-day trip and we fished along the way." A builder of concepts, programs, and projects You can also accurately describe Bryan as a builder…not a builder in the sense of constructing buildings, but, rather, building concepts, ideas, and programs in his head to help solve complicated and sophisticated problems that advance scientific technology and help solve human problems and needs. "I always knew I would go into some type of engineering," says Bryan. Bryan got one of his first charges to do this on a large scale when he became involved with the Washington Chapter of Engineers Without Borders when he was a freshman. In the winter of his sophomore year, he went to Northern Guatemala to help improve a fish hatchery in a small mountainous community. "I quickly grew attached to the commu- nity's loving reception of our team and their relentless work ethic. "I traveled again last summer as the team lead and president of our organization as we poured the foundation for a community center in northern Guatemala. This year, I am the International Projects Director and will be traveling to Nicaragua this winter to evaluate a new program for our chapter, which will continue after I graduate." Bryan Bednarski '15 A Man for All Seasons By Jim Hammond '66 5

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