Fellow:Meg Rotole
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Name
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Bio
Meg Rotole is a mechanical engineer, sewing fanatic, writer, houseplant collector, hobby entomologist, rock-hound, world traveler, and artist who has mastered the sacred art of doing everything at once and nothing at all. Located in metro-Detroit, Michigan, USA, she designs HVAC and plumbing systems for hospitals by day — and by night, she sews, writes, and lovingly threatens her houseplants to grow bigger leaves.
In 2024, Meg graduated from Michigan Technological University, a school known for snow, snow, and more snow. As a student, she did a little bit of everything: president of the National Residence Hall Honorary, chair of the student union board, resident assistant, broomball team member, founder and VP of the Makers Guild. She also served as the student director of the Alley Makerspace— a 2017 UIF project turned student-run wood and craft shop— dedicating years of her life to making sure the space ran safely and smoothly. In her final year, she helped launch a new makerspace designed for engineering fundamentals projects, transforming an abandoned storage room into a 3D printing, soldering, and woodworking haven.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and her summer internship was canceled, Meg pivoted fast. She launched an Etsy store and went all in on sewing— a skill she’s been teaching herself since age 9. She has participated in several art fairs and exhibitions, selling handmade stuffed animals. But in spring and summer 2020, she focused on sewing reusable, sustainable face masks. Without knowing it, she used the design thinking process to prototype and iterate a mask design with a filter pocket, anti-fog wire, and comfy elastic. Hundreds of masks later, and with dozens of five-star reviews, it became one of her most successful self-driven projects.
Meg has always loved to wander. Possibly the reason she chose a school 10 hours from home, and definitely the reason she sometimes wakes up and decides to “Go places, do things.” When a last-minute opportunity to study abroad in Spain appeared, she took it without hesitation, receiving her renewed passport just days before her flight. She spent five months in Vilanova i la Geltrú, just outside Barcelona, visiting the beach every day, and exploring as far as the train would take her. She also participated in a capstone project designing an industrial building for the local government.
After the semester ended, she wasn’t quite ready to go home. She spent five spontaneous weeks road-tripping across Portugal. No real plan, just picking destinations over breakfast each morning and driving off. Though this style of travel gave her mother several gray hairs, it became a defining moment in Meg’s relationship with anxiety, spontaneity, and trust in herself.
In 2025, after an 8-month job search, Meg joined Peter Basso Associates as a Mechanical Engineer in their healthcare and labs division. She now designs, retrofits, and improves HVAC and plumbing systems for hospitals and medical facilities — work that’s often overlooked, but vital to patient safety and comfort. Most of her days are spent in AutoCAD, Revit, and Excel but occasionally she’s also on a ladder in a hospital at 6 a.m., peering into the ceiling, asking the eternal question: What the hell is that duct doing?
Meg’s life philosophy is simple: do what feeds your soul. Go places, do things. Failure is temporary, growth is inevitable— especially if you’re a houseplant.
Achievements
Currently possesses 27 different pothos cultivars (and counting)