Electrical engineering senior Wallace ‘Doc’ Herrin excelled in academics and more at Ole Miss.
Like many entering freshmen, Wallace “Doc” Herrin came to the University of Mississippi unsure about his major and full of unrealized potential. Four years later, the Picayune native is graduating summa cum laude with a degree in electrical engineering, confident and ready for the world.
“The last university I toured in my junior year of high school was Ole Miss, and I instantly fell in love with the campus,” Herrin said. “Everyone I spoke to was so kind and seemed so happy to be here. The atmosphere around campus was buzzing, so it pulled me right in.
“On that very day, I knew I would be coming to Ole Miss.”
A Switch in Time
Herrin entered as a biomedical engineering major, but by his sophomore year, he realized that major wasn’t where his interests truly were.
“During my first semester of sophomore year, I was enrolled in Physics II,” Herrin said. “The class’s main focus was analyzing basic circuitry and studying electromagnetic fields.
“Something about these topics pulled me in. I was more invested in that class than all my other classes combined.”
Around halfway through the semester, Herrin decided he would switch his major to electrical engineering.
“I met with the department chair, who was thrilled to have someone join the major,” he said. “He helped me set up my classes for the next semester. The rest is history.”
Herrin has come a long way over the course of four years.
“The first in his family to go to college, Mr. Herrin was shy in high school,” said Ramanarayanan Viswanathan, chair and professor of electrical engineering. “Ole Miss has given him the confidence to be a strong communicator.”
Making the Adjustments
Even though Herrin felt good about switching majors, the actual transition from biomedical engineering to electrical engineering wasn’t as easy as he had anticipated.
“I have had to take around 19 hours of coursework every semester since the switch to make up for the classes I missed during freshman year.”
“Without a doubt, my absolute hardest challenge has been playing this game of catch-up since switching my major,” Herrin said. “I have had to take around 19 hours of coursework every semester since the switch to make up for the classes I missed during freshman year.”
To graduate on time, Herrin developed excellent time management skills and planned out the courses he needed to take well in advance.
Another major challenge Herrin has faced was his senior design project.
“While most projects have teams of three or four people on them, mine began with just two,” he said. “Even more challenging, my partner graduated in December, so I have been left to work on this massive project entirely alone.”
Herrin overcame this obstacle by working at the project bit by bit.
“I planned out milestones,” he said. “Once I would reach my current goal, I would set a new one and begin working at it as much as possible.”
A Man Who Made the Difference
Among the many instructors Herrin has had courses under, he said Barry Muldrey, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, has undoubtedly made the largest impact on him.
“Though I’ve only had him as a professor for two classes, he has helped me in endless ways to become not only a better student, but also a better engineer,” Herrin said. “His classes are designed to help you find solutions to problems on your own, rather than running to a professor for answers.”
Critical thinking skills are crucial in engineering because a professional often won’t need to explore numerous paths to work toward the answer, Herrin said.
“He (Muldrey) is an incredibly intelligent person and he has such a passion for every aspect of electrical engineering,” he said. “While this was his last year teaching at Ole Miss, I am very thankful I got the opportunity to learn under him.”
Likewise, Muldrey said he has enjoyed spending time with Herrin during his senior year.
“Notwithstanding his tremendous intellect, Doc is very warm, patient and easy in conversation,” Muldrey said. “He is very curious and doesn’t hesitate to ask questions in class, and he’s enthusiastic in striking up conversation outside of the classroom as well.
“During our Microprocessors course, I enjoyed watching Doc work with an unusual persistence in the lab, delighting in building his project and bringing his digital ideas to life.”
Turning potential stumbling blocks into stepping stones, Herrin emerged a stronger, better student, which has brought him honors and awards along the way.
“While I spent much of my time in a fraternity, going out and making memories, I also worked hard in classes, will be graduating summa cum laude and have a job lined up right out of college.”
“The most fulfilling awards I have received are the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Junior and Senior in Electrical Engineering awards,” Herrin said. “This award is given to one student in your class in order to recognize outstanding performance and dedication in coursework.
“I have always been very focused when it comes to school, and I feel these awards help to reflect my attitude on learning and working.”
Ready for Raytheon and Beyond
Well ahead of Commencement, Herrin already had a job offer from Raytheon Technologies in Dallas. He will be moving there later in May to begin his professional career.
But working for Raytheon is only the beginning, he said.
“In the long term, I hope to move away from the defense industry and move more towards tech companies, like Intel,” Herrin said. “First, I’d like to get some years of experience under my belt.”
Herrin said he’s thankful that he had a balanced Ole Miss experience.
“I think my time here at Ole Miss shows that you can do both sides of the college experience,” he said. “While I spent much of my time in a fraternity, going out and making memories, I also worked hard in classes, will be graduating summa cum laude and have a job lined up right out of college.
“Many people that come here who lean too much into one aspect or the other, but I have proven that they are not mutually exclusive.”
By Edwin Smith
