Alumni Spotlight: Helen Craft ’23

For Helen Craft ‘23, a curiosity for building and problem-solving started early in her learning journey and it hasn’t slowed down since.

Now a junior at Tulane University, Helen is majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in electrical engineering. She’s especially interested in designing surgical implants related to the heart and electrophysiology, with a focus on making those innovations as accessible as possible.

Her interest in engineering can be traced back to her time at Cannon, where she was a familiar face in the Middle School Think Tank makerspace. What began with small projects, like making jewelry, quickly grew into something more. By eighth grade, Dean of Innovation & Technology Leigh Northrup remembers Helen’s inquisitive mindset: “What else can I make?” That mindset pushed her from simple creations to more complex builds, including learning how to use the 3D printer.

At Tulane, Helen found a natural extension of that hands-on learning through service-based engineering work. She became involved with Tikkun Olam Makers, a group that designs affordable, open-source assistive devices using tools like 3D printing. Early on, she worked on Toddler Mobility Trainers, custom mobility devices for young children, and later became a fellow, building her skills in CAD and prototyping.

That experience led to a recent trip to Bo, Sierra Leone, where she helped create and fit prosthetic arms for individuals in an amputee community. Even getting there required problem-solving: Helen and her team had to carefully disassemble 3D printers and transport them overseas.

Once on the ground, no two days looked the same. From traveling to local hospitals to conducting fittings and prototyping in real time, the work was fast-paced and often unpredictable, but deeply meaningful.

“The most rewarding part was putting the prosthetics on the people we made them for,” Helen shared. “They were so excited and grateful. It made all the hard work and difficult travel worth it. One professor told me, ‘what you're doing is changing lives,’ and I’ll always remember that.”

Looking back, Helen credits much of her growth to being willing to try, fail, and try again. “My biggest advice is to fail at stuff—a lot,” she said. “Trying different approaches, even if you don’t think they’ll work, is how you grow. Some of the ideas that didn’t work at all ended up leading me to some of the best ones.”

From asking “what else can I make?” in the Cannon makerspace to applying those skills in real-world settings, Helen’s journey shows how early curiosity can grow into meaningful, hands-on impact.