Michael Sanderson ‘17, ‘24, finished his second degree from NC State University just last year — but his time with the Wolfpack is only getting started.

Sanderson, who currently works as a principal automation engineer at Pfizer, has a B.S. in chemical engineering and an M.S. in engineering and industrial management. He joined the College of Engineering’s Young Alumni Advisory Board (YAAB) in 2025.

“I’m a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina,” he said. “North Carolina has the highest Indigenous population east of the Mississippi, but that doesn’t correlate to higher numbers in STEM or engineering. We usually don’t graduate with those degrees, so there aren’t a lot of voices for people from my community. When opportunities like this arise, I really like to represent my people a little bit more. If you’re not at a table, you’re not getting heard.”

Sanderson is from Pembroke, North Carolina, which has a majority-Lumbee Indigenous population. NC State was the only university Sanderson applied to after he fell in love with chemistry at Purnell Swett High School.

“…there aren’t a lot of voices for people from my community. When opportunities like this arise, I really like to represent my people… If you’re not at a table, you’re not getting heard.”

Over 10 years after starting at NC State, Sanderson is still a dedicated member of the Pack. He’s the vice chair for the YAAB philanthropy committee, as well as the vice president for the Native American Alumni Network and the corporate advisor for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) student chapter.

He’s doing all of that for NC State on top of his full-time job, his role as the president for the AISES North Carolina Professional Chapter, his membership in the Triangle Native American Society and his duty as cofounder and global operations lead of the Global Indigenous Community Colleague Resource Group.

“I have people that I can rely on, and I can delegate,” he said. “That’s what we have calendars for. But I have a good support system, and I know that what I’m doing is meaningful. That definitely makes it all easier.”

When he thinks of his time at NC State as a student, Sanderson said he thinks about those support systems. His favorite place on campus was D.H. Hill Jr. Library.

“Those were probably some of my favorite times, just hanging out with friends at the library,” he said. “The last stretch of finals and everybody being in the library together. Those are pretty good memories.”

About YAAB

Formed in 2018 by the NC State Engineering Foundation, YAAB consists of NC State alumni who are fewer than 15 years post-graduation from their last degree earned. The program was created to encourage support from the growing population of COE young alumni who want to stay connected to the Wolfpack.

The board started with 12 members. Currently, there are 26 members on the board representing a wide range of engineering and computer science disciplines.