A Small Miracle

September 2026

It’s almost a cliché, but Coy McBride chose to pursue engineering because of a childhood love of playing with LEGO bricks. When he came to BYU after high school, he didn’t think twice about what to major in. But after his freshman year, he became a service missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and what he experienced in that role changed how he saw his chosen field. 

“I got to work with a group that helps people with special and adaptive needs,” he says. “I helped people with cognitive and physical disabilities learn how to ride a bike and how to ski. With the adaptive equipment we have, we can help any person—stroke patients, people with autism or Down syndrome—ride a bike or ski.” 

McBride recalls how he skied at Sundance Resort with a double amputee. “When he had his accident, he probably thought he’d never be able to do those things again,” McBride says. “Seeing his success really cemented the idea that there’s no limit to how you can help people through engineer¬ing. Engineering is powerful.” 

After his mission, McBride set his sights on mechanical engineering with the aspiration to someday be a biomedical engineer. McBride worked two part-time jobs on top of being a full-time student. But one day, while sitting in his math class, he was overwhelmed when he received an email informing him that he’d been awarded a scholarship mid-semester. 

“When I was on my mission, our mission president asked us to record all the miracles we saw,” McBride remembers. “And because I was just a few months off my mission when that email came through, that was something I was still doing. I felt God’s love for me coming through when I got that email in my math class—the strangest of all places. It was just a feeling that Heavenly Father was reaching out to me and saying, ‘I’m aware of you. I know you weren’t expecting this.’”

In the BYU Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering, McBride has constructed robots in his mechatronics classes, participated in the BYU 2ft Prosthetics Club, completed an internship developing solar array designs for a solar panel company, and been a member of faculty-advised teams. He’s particularly interested in surgical robots and sees them as an entry point for work in the medical field someday. 

“Engineers have created robots that can mimic the functions of a hand, but on a smaller scale,” he explains. “It allows for less-invasive surgeries. Instead of a doctor having to stick their big fingers in, these smaller robots can do it. They still have very good control, and because they’re not as big, they cause less damage and reduce the recovery time.” 

McBride still has his part-time jobs, but the scholarship allows him to work fewer hours and focus more on his schoolwork. “Having a scholarship is a relief,” he says. “BYU has been a transformational experience for me. I’m loving how it’s helped shape not only what I’m studying and how but also why. The purpose I’ve found through BYU as I’ve been able to connect with my Savior through the learning experience—I can’t express how profound that is.”