Climbing to Achieve Her Dreams: CAAS Valedictorian Baylee Vogler

Baylee Vogler grew up in West Jordan, Utah, where she was either playing in the Wasatch Mountains or designing and building things in her garage. She has always enjoyed being outdoors, and some of her favorite hobbies include backcountry skiing, ultra-running, mountain biking and climbing. When she learned about the Outdoor Product Design and Development program at Utah State University, she was excited for the opportunity to combine her passions and focus on designing outdoor equipment.

It proved to be a great fit for her. Vogler not only graduates this spring with a bachelor’s degree in outdoor product design and development with a design emphasis and a minor in operations management and supply chains, she is also the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences’ valedictorian.

Vogler earned the “A” Pin Award three consecutive years — presented to students who maintain a 4.0 grade point average for two consecutive semesters while taking a minimum of 15 credits — and maintained her place on the Dean’s List throughout her four years.

As a first-year student, Baylee was hired as a peer adviser and had opportunities to work with students interested in OPDD. As a junior, she became a lab technician in the machine shop where she continued pursuing her passion for designing hardgoods equipment. These opportunities led to a project where she designed and prototyped a new type of climbing cam that she is patenting through the university.

“Don’t be afraid to ask questions and to get out and get your hands dirty,” is Vogler’s advice to other students. “You’ve got to go a little farther than just doing things in class. Always keep learning and don’t be afraid or think, ‘I’m not good at that, so I’m not even going to approach it.’ Instead, think, ‘I’m not good at that so I’m going to lean into it and work at trying to get better at it.’”

Vogler said Associate Professor Andrew Deceuster has been “the most incredible mentor” and the person she chose to honor as her faculty escort at commencement.

“I didn’t come to school knowing how to do any of this stuff,” Vogler said. “The entry-level classes were great to establish a solid base of design skills. Then, once we got into studios, everything really took off and it was awesome. We have great support and a lot of one-on-one work with professors.”

Last summer she served an internship with Black Diamond Equipment’s industrial design team, where she worked designing technical climbing equipment.

“Coming into the OPDD program, I thought it would be so cool to work for Black Diamond,“ Vogler said. “I chose to work on projects along the way that were climbing gear so the work introduced me to those skills. Designing things I could show people in the field was huge. It prepared me for the internship and eventually for a full-time offer. I start work with Black Diamond in June. I know people in that office and I’m super excited to be working with them, being mentored by some of the senior-level people, and learning as much as I can.”