• Explore + Travel
    • Calendar
    • Recreation + Outdoors
    • 12 Weeks of Summer
    • Destination Itineraries
    • Travel Guides: Plan Your Trip
    • Attractions Directory
    • Hotels Directory
  • Food
    • Top 75 Restaurants
    • Reviews
    • Recipes
    • Drinks
    • Dining Directory
    • Breakfast Bracket Challenge
  • Arts + Entertainment
    • 12 Weeks of Arts + Entertainment
    • Theater + Dance
    • Museums + Visual Arts
    • Music + Books
    • Entertainment Directory
  • Culture
    • People
    • Business + Politics
    • Education Directory
    • Venues Directory
    • Nonprofits Directory
  • Style + Shopping
    • Shopping Directory
  • Health
    • Top Doctors Directory
    • Best Dentists Directory
    • Best Chiropractors Directory
  • Our Events
    • Fine Spirits Classic
    • Rhythm & Brews
    • Midwest Design Events
    • Food & Wine Experience
    • GrillFest
    • CannaFest
  • Subscribe
    • Magazine
    • ENewsletter
    • Purchase Single Issues
    • Where to Find
Sign in
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Sign up
Welcome!Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
Search
  • Subscribe
  • Calendar
  • Best Professionals
    • Top Doctors Digital Edition
    • Top Doctors
    • Best Dentists
    • Best Chiropractors
    • Best Lawyers
    • Real Estate Professionals
    • Mortgage Professionals
    • Insurance Professionals
  • Directories
    • Dining Directory
    • Entertainment Directory
    • Shopping Directory
    • Attractions Directory
    • Hotels Directory
    • Education Directory
    • Venues Directory
    • Nonprofits Directory
  • Midwest Design
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Create an account
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Create an account
Welcome! Register for an account
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Privacy and Cookies Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
Minnesota Monthly logo Minnesota Monthly
Minnesota Monthly logo Minnesota Monthly logo
  • Explore + Travel
    • Calendar
    • Recreation + Outdoors
    • 12 Weeks of Summer
    • Destination Itineraries
    • Travel Guides: Plan Your Trip
    • Attractions Directory
    • Hotels Directory
  • Food
    • Top 75 Restaurants
    • Reviews
    • Recipes
    • Drinks
    • Dining Directory
    • Breakfast Bracket Challenge
  • Arts + Entertainment
    • 12 Weeks of Arts + Entertainment
    • Theater + Dance
    • Museums + Visual Arts
    • Music + Books
    • Entertainment Directory
  • Culture
    • People
    • Business + Politics
    • Education Directory
    • Venues Directory
    • Nonprofits Directory
  • Style + Shopping
    • Shopping Directory
  • Health
    • Top Doctors Directory
    • Best Dentists Directory
    • Best Chiropractors Directory
  • Our Events
    • Fine Spirits Classic
    • Rhythm & Brews
    • Midwest Design Events
    • Food & Wine Experience
    • GrillFest
    • CannaFest
  • Subscribe
    • Magazine
    • ENewsletter
    • Purchase Single Issues
    • Where to Find
Home Sponsored UND student becomes an Engineer Without Borders
  • Education
Sponsored

UND student becomes an Engineer Without Borders

Jonathan Wirkkala went from Air Force active duty to designing a water storage solution in rural Guatemala
By
University of North Dakota
-
February 5, 2021
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
WhatsApp
Linkedin
    Jonathan Wirkkala, electrical engineering student at the University of North Dakota
    Jonathan Wirkkala, electrical engineering student at the University of North Dakota

    Courtesy of UND

    Distance learning has been a fact of life for many students lately. But Jonathan Wirkkala, an electrical engineering student at the University of North Dakota, had been learning at a distance for years before the pandemic. In fact, he was an entire hemisphere away from campus.

    Inspired by his grandfather whose work involved room-sized computers, Wirkkala wanted a career that would allow him to tinker with machines. After high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force and became an aircraft computer technician. While still on active duty, he enrolled in UND’s online bachelor’s program in electrical engineering. He hoped to one day design the computers he repaired.

    “I searched around online and found that the University of North Dakota is one of the few accredited schools that offers a completely online degree program for engineering,” Wirkkala said. “It was a hop, skip and a jump from where I grew up [in Hanover, Minnesota].”

    Wirkkala began his online studies while stationed in South Korea. He proudly wore UND-branded shirts and caps, even though he hadn’t stepped foot on campus. Wirkkala felt supported. UND professors would reach out to him, and the electrical engineering program would invite him to webinars and conferences. The University allowed his commander to proctor one of his exams. And the knowledge he gained in his classes immediately applied to his job as a technician.

    From Grand Forks to Guatemala 

    Once he left the Air Force, Wirkkala shifted to in-person instruction in the spring of 2019. Facilitated by the UND Veteran & Military Services Office, the transition was easy, he said. “UND offered tons of resources,” he said. “I showed up and, three days later, I was in classes.”

    Jonathan Wirkkala in discussion at UND

    Courtesy of UND

    Soon after he arrived in Grand Forks, Wirkkala’s career trajectory changed. He joined the UND student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), of which he later became president. Through the organization, Wirkkala and his UND peers from a variety of engineering disciplines embarked on a five-year project. The goal was to build a water storage system for a small village in north-central Guatemala that lacked access to clean water.

    Prior to COVID, Wirkkala’s team traveled to the Central American nation to assess the community’s needs. Following their visit, they spent months designing a solution with the help of faculty advisors and practicing engineers. Today, because the students could not return to Guatemala due to the pandemic, a local contractor is erecting a water storage and purification system based off of their blueprints.

    “I really enjoy working with people and trying to solve basic human needs issues,” Wirkkala said, adding that he is working on details such as the electronic control of water chlorination.

    Having discovered the links between water management and electrical engineering, Wirkkala is now interning at AE2S, an engineering firm that specializes in water projects. “UND has altered where my career is going for the better,” he said. “It absolutely opened my eyes to new possibilities.”

    • TAGS
    • engineer
    • UND
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Pinterest
    Email
    WhatsApp
    Linkedin
      University of North Dakota

      RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

      Sponsored

      Christmas in July Returns to The Saint Paul Hotel With Local Vendors and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Ticket Launch

      Sponsored

      Parlez-Vous Française? Discover the Francophone World with Alliance Française

      Sponsored

      St. Croix Lutheran Academy: A Premier Educational Choice in the Twin Cities

      Events Calendar

      « June 2025 » loading...
      SMTWTFS
      1
      2
      3
      4
      5
      6
      7
      8
      9
      10
      11
      12
      13
      14
      15
      16
      17
      18
      19
      20
      21
      22
      23
      24
      25
      26
      27
      28
      29
      30
      1
      2
      3
      4
      5
      Submit an Event
       

      NEWSLETTERS

      Find Your Way Around

      • Subscribe
      • My Account
      • Advertise
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Newsletters
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy

      Our Events

      • Food & Wine Experience
      • GrillFest
      • Fine Spirits Classic
      • Midwest Home’s Luxury Home Tour
      • Rhythm & Brews

      View & Order Greenspring Publications

      • Minnesota Monthly Subscription From: $14.95 for 1 year
      • Midwest Home $9.95
      • Bike Minnesota $2.50
      • Experience Rochester Visitors Guide $2.50
      • Twin Cities Living Relocation Guide $2.50
      • Minnesota Monthly Ultimate Travel Guide $2.50
      • Mall of America/Bloomington Visitors Guide
      • Official Visitors Guide to the Twin Cities $2.50
      The Spirit of Minnesota logo
      ABOUT US
      Minnesota Monthly magazine embodies the spirit of our state while celebrating the best arts, entertainment, food, culture, philanthropy, sports and lives of our home.
      FOLLOW US
      © 2025 Greenspring Media, LLC
      Near me
      200 miles