Paloma Lyke ’24, of McAllen, Texas, enrolled at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen in 2019, just one year after its doors opened. On May 10, 2024, Lyke graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary engineering and a minor in electrical engineering. Her goal has always been to become an engineering professional, an occupation that her father and forefathers have practiced since the 1800s.
“My family legacy inspired me to go into engineering. My great-grandfather worked as a train engineer, my grandfather worked as a weapons engineer in New Mexico in the 1950s, and my dad was an engineer that worked with computers and manufacturing,” Lyke said.
Lyke’s family on her father’s side is originally from Spring Valley, Minnesota. “My great-grandfather, Byron A. Lyke, worked as an engineer from the 1890s until World War II on commercial and industrial steam engines. As conventional steam technology gave way to combustion engines, he worked with the modernization and automation of telephone equipment, particularly automatic dialing and switching. His career spanned from trains and telegraph to planes and satellite communications,” Lyke said.
Byron’s son (Lyke’s grandfather), James E. Lyke, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern Electronics Institute. He later attained certifications from the Weapons School and Nuclear Physics and Radiological Defense School in Sandia Base, New Mexico. He worked in the radiological defense office where he maintained the fire control system on nuclear weapons, including radar and barometric equipment.
“He instructed personnel in the assembly and disassembly of nuclear weapons and also researched and tested nuclear and radiological warfare at White Sands and Dugway proving grounds,” Lyke said.
In the 1970s, James moved his family to the Rio Grande Valley. His son, Chris B. Lyke, followed in his father's footsteps and studied electronics and electrical engineering at Texas A&M University – Kingsville. After graduating, he worked in electronics manufacturing and circuit board assembly and testing. He later became the process engineer at Kimball Electronics and then joined the IT team as a network and systems engineer.
Chris’ career inspired his daughter Paloma to pursue a similar path, further solidifying her family’s engineering legacy.
From a young age, Lyke felt a strong connection to engineering and all the creativity and innovation that it comes with. Once Lyke joins the industry, she will proudly become the first Latina engineer in her family.
“I have always had a passion for math, drawing and design. I’m so excited to become the first Latina engineer in my family. Now that I’ve graduated, my goal is to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and become a licensed engineer in the Rio Grande Valley,” Lyke said.