RMCOE: Outstanding Awards
Michael Wu (senior), Kriteen Shrestha (TA), and Yoga Isukapalli (faculty) receive end-of-year program awards that celebrate academic excellence, teaching, and mentorship through annual honors selected by faculty and graduating seniors
The UC Santa Barbara Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering’s 2026 Undergraduate Commencement is just days away for graduating seniors. The ceremony will take place at 9 AM on Friday, June 12, on Commencement Green. Graduating senior Michael Wu will be part of a select group of students leading the class of 2026 into the ceremony as standard bearers.
Wu earned the opportunity after receiving the Outstanding Senior of Computer Engineering Award, a recognition for not only having one of the highest grade-point -averages in his graduating cohort, but also for his academic accomplishments and involvement during his time at UCSB.
Two more members of the computer engineering community also received end-of-the-year awards from the class of 2026. Kriteen Shrestha received the Outstanding Computer Engineering Teaching Assistant Award, and Yoga Isukapalli was named the Outstanding Computer Engineering Faculty Award recipient.
Outstanding Senior – Michael Wu
For Michael Wu, a passion for game development helped define his academic journey at UCSB.
Wu, who participated in UCSB’s Game Development Club and Robotics Club, said that he approached his coursework with the goal of fully immersing himself in what he was learning.
“I did the best that I could in my coursework because I wanted to make the most out of what I was learning,” Wu said. “It’s an honor knowing that the effort I put in has been recognized by the department staff that supported me along the way.”
After graduation, Wu plans to pursue a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Southern California with a focus on game development and the ultimate goal of working in the game industry.
His most memorable academic experience came during UCSB’s Intro to Video Game Development course, when he spent seven weeks building his own original game concept.
“I designed gameplay systems from the ground up, and doing so challenged my problem-solving skills and forced me to dive deep into rendering and simulation problems,” he said. “That course, along with the Advanced Game Development sequence, really shaped my passion for game development.”
Wu also thanked computer science professors Pradeep Sen and Ambuj Singh for motivating him, shaping his interests across multiple fields, and supporting him throughout the graduate school application process.
Outstanding Teaching Assistant – Kriteen Shrestha
Helping students navigate the “human side” of engineering became a defining part of the teaching experience for Kriteen Shrestha, who TA’d the computer engineering capstone sequence this year.
“I was very surprised,” said Shrestha about receiving the 2026 Outstanding TA Award for Computer Engineering. “Hearing that there were students who chose to recognize me with this award is very touching and meaningful to me.”
Shrestha, who double majored in computer engineering and mathematics as an undergraduate and is completing her BS/MS in computer engineering at UCSB, said that the role taught her that a helpful attitude goes a long way.
“I realized that students needed help navigating the more human side of engineering,” Shrestha said. “Having gone through the same course, I tried to guide my students by example, openly sharing my own experiences and mistakes, to make their experience more approachable and less difficult.”
Shrestha will continue at UCSB, pursuing a PhD with electrical and computer engineering associate professor Kerem Çamsarı, working on probabilistic methods in quantum computing and optimization. She is exploring methods combining quantum physics and neural networks to more efficiently navigate complex quantum systems.
Outstanding Faculty – Yoga Isukapalli
Once again, the Outstanding Computer Engineering Faculty Award has gone to Yoga Isukapalli, a teaching professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, who has received the honor eight years in a row.
“Teaching is at the heart of what I do, and being recognized by the students I’ve had the privilege of working with is deeply humbling,” Isukapalli said. “This award matters to me more than most because it comes directly from the graduating seniors.”
Reflecting on the Class of 2026, Isukapalli pointed to the graduates’ ability to adapt.
“This class navigated a world changing faster than any before it, in technology, in the college, and in society,” he said.
His final message emphasized curiosity, humility, and service.
“Stay curious and stay humble,” he said. “The most important learning of your career is still ahead of you. And whenever you can, give back. Congratulations, Class of 2026. Go make us proud.”
