If you are looking for Casey Best, you will probably find him surrounded by engines, tools, and a group of laughing friends in the Automotive Society garage. “I like to go hang out with my buddies,” he said. “We build go-karts, work on cars all the time. I have a boat in there. It is super fun.” A sophomore mechanical engineering major from Marble Falls, Texas, Casey brings the same energy to every part of campus life. He grew up in an area filled with lakes and hills, and that love for the outdoors and hands-on creativity has followed him to LeTourneau. What surprised him most was not the engineering labs but the people. “The faculty here are just great,” he said. “I had faculty praying over me who had never met me before. I had never experienced something like that on any other college tour.”
Casey discovered LeTourneau in a very modern way. “I legitimately typed engineering schools into the computer,” he said with a laugh. After visiting, he never looked back. The friendships he has made are one of his greatest joys. “I am super blessed to have an amazing friend group,” he shared. “I think I am going to be friends with them for the rest of my life.” Whether he is grabbing a quick bite at the Hive or taking a long walk around the loop, he finds that simple moments on campus often turn into the best memories. He loves being part of the mechanical engineering community too. “You will just sit down and be like, how does that work?” he said. “My buddies and I were thinking about how a printer works and how it could cost under a hundred dollars. That is a mechanical engineer for sure.” Casey also enjoys helping freshmen navigate their schedules. “Sometimes you do not want to take that 8 AM,” he joked. “So advice like that is something I can offer.”
Being an RA has taught Casey a lot about himself and about leadership. His favorite Bible passage, Matthew 7:1–3, reminds him to look at his own life before correcting others. “There are things I tell people to do that I am not getting right, so I try to catch those things,” he said. He also sees the tremendous value of community, especially in South Hall, where he encouraged many friends to live. “It is a good community. We have a big kitchen and a ping-pong table everyone likes,” he said. He has also found encouragement from professors like Professor Olsen in statics. “He is the nicest professor on campus,” Casey said. “He will pray for you five times in a minute.” Looking ahead, Casey hopes students remember that LeTourneau is a place full of opportunity. His advice is simple: “Pay attention to algebra. It will beat you when you get to Calc 3. And start dual credit early.” Most of all, he wants future students to know what he has learned firsthand. “I never thought I would go to a small school, but I love it here,” he said. “It is a great place.”
