Considering she came from a lineage that had already produced seven Arkansas Tech University engineering graduates, it might be natural to assume that Lauren Bradford felt at least some pressure to continue the family tradition.
Turns out nothing could be further from the truth.
“When you’re young, you don’t know what your parents do,” said Bradford. “You just know they go to work. I didn’t know until ninth grade that both of my parents are engineers. I guess it’s just in my genes that my mind is turned toward engineering. I think it’s cool that they didn’t push me toward it because they all did it. I honestly didn’t know until freshman year (at ATU) that so many of my family members had completed an engineering degree. I guess we are just like-minded and have that brain of an engineer.”
Bradford became the eighth member of her family to earn an engineering degree from Arkansas Tech when she completed her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree in spring 2026.
By walking across the Tucker Coliseum stage, Bradford followed in the footsteps of her parents, Jerry Bradford and Melissa Lee Bradford; her uncles, Clay Bradford, Robert Bradford and Josh Bradford; her aunt, Bethany Bradford Castor; and her brother, Dylan Bradford.
Bradford’s genetic predisposition to engineering was first brought to light at Russellville Junior High School. She participated in the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) program, and for nine weeks she and her eighth-grade classmates studied engineering.
“I really thought I was going to do something in the medical field when I grew up, but the engineering part came along and I was really good at it,” said Bradford.
She continued to study engineering throughout the remainder of her K-12 education and graduated from Russellville High School in 2022.
After considering multiple college options, Bradford chose Arkansas Tech. She mentioned the scholarship opportunities and her affinity for her hometown of Russellville as two of the main reasons for her decision.
Once she arrived on campus, Bradford quickly developed a new network within the ATU Department of Engineering and Computing Sciences.
“In engineering, you know everyone in your class by the end of the first year,” said Bradford. “It was really nice to be able to make those friendships and those connections with people. I’ve learned that good communication, being a good teammate and being an ethical person are some of the most important traits of an engineer. Every one of my professors has emphasized that. Engineering is very ethics-based.”
Bradford was also drawn to the ATU Honors program, which challenged her academically while providing her the opportunity to develop friendships with Arkansas Tech students from outside her major field of study.
“The first semester of college is really rough,” said Bradford. “During my first year, I had so many people I got to know through our meetings and classes for honors. I was able to make those connections, and I would see them in classes like chemistry. Even now, I still know them and it’s really cool to have those friends from various disciplines.”
Bradford engaged with the ATU community beyond the classroom by participating in intramural sports and attending Wonder Boys and Golden Suns games, and she found additional life balance by remaining active in her church.
Along the way, Bradford accumulated an academic record that allowed her to graduate from Arkansas Tech with highest honors. She was named the 2026 most outstanding mechanical engineering graduate at Arkansas Tech by the ATU College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Bradford has accepted a position with Baker Refrigeration in Russellville.
“It’s honestly amazing that I can go out and get a job like this because it wasn’t that long ago that people thought only guys could do this work,” said Bradford. “It’s nice to have the dynamic of women and men in STEM fields. It’s great for women to have the same opportunities as men.”
Bradford is not the last member of her family who will pursue those opportunities. Her younger sister, Renee Bradford, will be a junior in the ATU mechanical engineering program beginning in August.
Year by year and generation by generation, the Bradfords just keep engineering a brighter future at Arkansas Tech.
