That experience did more than end a sport. It ignited a purpose. During her second battle with cancer Vivian stepped out of her room at Riley Children’s Hospital and listened to the stories of other young patients who faced the same surgery and the same loss of mobility. She saw how limited choices could shape a life and decided she wanted to be part of the solution. 

Today Vivian is a sophomore in Purdue’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering with a clear goal to transform pediatric cancer care. “I want to use my diagnosis for good” she says. “Whether that means designing better endoprosthetics so kids don’t have to lose the sports and activities they love or developing new treatments so cancer is no longer a death sentence — I want to use my diagnosis for good.” 

Her focus is practical and personal. Vivian talks about empathy as an engineering tool and firsthand knowledge as a guide for design decisions. She wants solutions that meet kids where they are and keep them in the lives they love. She imagines limb'salvage implants that restore movement and clinical research that pushes new therapies forward. “I want a career where my work directly improves the lives of kids who are fighting the same fight I did” she says. 

That mindset carries into how she balances Purdue BME with elite athletics. Vivian trains with the U.S. Women’s National Sitting Volleyball Development Team and travels to Oklahoma City for camps while managing a demanding course load. She credits early communication with professors and steady guidance from her academic advisor Michael Mifflin for keeping school and training aligned. Airport layovers have become study sessions and simple habits like sleep and nutrition help her protect her body and her grades. 

“The great part now is that sitting volleyball is something I truly love” Vivian says. “So even when I have to give things up or stay disciplined to keep up with school it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice.” 

This fall Vivian represented Team USA at the Youth Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile where she helped secure gold in a final against Brazil. The moment that stays with her is standing on the service line for match point and remembering the girl who once thought her life was over. “I wished I could show her how far she would come — that every time she felt like giving up she just needed to keep going” she says. 

Looking ahead Vivian’s engineering goal is simple and ambitious. “My heart lies in pediatric oncology” she says. “Whether that’s developing smarter treatments designing better limb'salvage implants or working in clinical research that pushes the field forward — I want to be part of something that gives kids more time more options and more hope.” 

Vivian Eagle brings lived experience into the lab and purpose into design. Her journey from diagnosis to international victory is not just a story of resilience. It is a blueprint for engineering that sees the patient first and builds solutions that return possibility to childhood.