Real Time with... IPC APEX EXPO 2025: Meet Emily Daley, the New IPC Student Board Member

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Having a student on the IPC Board of Directors offers a perspective it’s hard to get in other ways. Each year, IPC selects a new student to join the board. This year, it’s Emily Daley, a junior at Michigan Tech. Emily is excited to network and learn from her peers as she enters the electrical engineering industry.

TRANSCRIPT:

Marcy LaRont: I am here with Emily Daley. She is the new incoming IPC Student Board Member. Hi Emily, how are you?

Emily Daley: Good, how are you?

LaRont: Good. We want to learn a little bit about you. Emily, tell us about yourself, a little bit about your background, where you're going to school, what you're studying.

Daley: I'm finishing up my electrical engineering degree at Michigan Tech. I am currently a junior, and I'm originally from Byron, Michigan.

LaRont: You're a junior, and the incoming IPC Student Board Member. How did that come about?

Daley: I am the chapter president at my university currently. It just seemed like a great opportunity, so I took it, and here we are.

LaRont: That's great. Did you talk to Charlene Gunter at all?

Daley: I did. I was in contact with her quite a bit throughout the process.

LaRont: You are the chapter president?

Daley: Correct.

LaRont: What does that entail?

Daley: Taking charge, being in charge of the group. You have to get them together, otherwise nothing really happens. We don't have a whole lot of people involved in the organization, as you would think. It's a great opportunity. I think a lot of people would get involved. But the main draw we get from people is the soldering events we put on.

We'll design boards, and they're typically the same format, but every now and then we get a new radio board or something where we can get them in, and they get interested, and they want to solder. It's a great learning experience for them. We're getting some lecturers to come in and talk to the students, but we definitely have a little bit of an outreach We'd like to grow that more. 

LaRont: That's great. It sounds like you're in a great position to do that now being an IPC student board member. Have you been to your first board meeting yet? 

Daley: I have not. 

LaRont: Okay, so that's upcoming What are you most looking forward to? I know you've been speaking to the outgoing student board members. What are you most looking forward to about this experience?

Daley: Honestly, it’s the networking experience. Obviously, I haven't gotten into the industry yet. It'll be great to just talk with the other engineers and get a perspective going into the field and see what happens from there. 

LaRont: I've heard that the networking is some of the best part of it, and I think once you go to your first board meeting and meet some of the truly great and impressive leadership that we have in the industry, that will be really great for you as well.

Emily, it's been really good talking to you. We wish you so much luck. We're happy that you're here. And I look forward to talking to you again, probably next year at IPC APEX EXPO, after you've had a whole year of experiences to share.