Adrien Yau

Hi, I'm Adrien, and I am currently studying electrical engineering with a focus in robotics. I was born in France and came to America when I was 7, moving around the West Coast, before eventually ending up in Portland, Oregon. Long-term, I hope to return to France for the lifestyle and work-life balance I grew up with. My goal is to use my education to build a strong foundation in the field I want to lead — I believe that truly understanding engineering work will make me a more effective leader. I'm also in the Honors College to help me get the skills and experience I need for my master's in robotics, and eventually an MBA — ideally sponsored by the company I'll be working for by then. 

On campus, I participate in DAM Robotics' Mars rover team and BOB (Board of Business), where I get to practice marketing, fundraising, soldering, and wiring components. I also participate in the Waste Sustainability Club, which hosts repair fairs where I volunteer and fix household items and electronics. For Summer 2026 I'm starting remotely at Carnegie Mellon University in a dual role — supporting the administrative team while beginning robotics research. 

When I'm not in class, I'm dancing. I picked up hip hop and breakdancing last year and haven't stopped since — if you spot someone dancing on the way home from class, that's probably me. Dance is how I recharge and express a different kind of creativity than engineering allows. 

My biggest piece of advice for prospective students: scheduling is essential to success in school. That includes scheduling time to actually live — hang out with friends, join fun clubs, and go to events. Balance is something I've had to learn, and it makes everything else work better.

Planning is essential for many engineering majors, so you don't get bottlenecked on a certain class. Websites that I always go back to prepare in advance are MyDegrees and "Engineering course requirements by major." However, the most important website that any engineer should use is a calendar like Google’s or Apple’s to save all their classes and major events.