Adam Balawejder, a long-time adjunct instructor in the first-year engineering program of the Swanson School of Engineering, who was also involved in helping to connect students with local industry, died on July 24, 2025, at 40.
Balawejder, who earned both his undergraduate (2007) and master’s degree (2009) in engineering at Pitt, was among the first class of peer mentors hired in 2004 by Jill Harvey, director of first year advising for the Swanson School.
“He was quick to laugh, didn’t take himself too seriously, was exceptionally bright, and was one of those people who made friends wherever he went,” Harvey recalled. “To meet Adam was to make a friend. He had haunts all over Pittsburgh and loved discovering new coffee shops, bars and restaurants; his dad told me he found just about every Pittsburgh bartender and barista’s name and number in his phone. Adam was a connector and a collector of people.”
When Balawejder became an adjunct instructor, 10 years ago, she recalled, “before he taught class, he’d often stop by or send me a text to ask, ‘Are you going to be in your office around 4:30, JGH?’ (Harvey’s initials). And he’d come strolling in with his coffee (always with the coffee) a few minutes before class so we could chat about things.
“Adam was fizzy; he lived with joy, compassion for others and an enthusiasm for life. It seems so trite to say that about someone who has passed, but it’s truly how he was. He loved to teach, and students adored him. He was willing to take time to patiently help a student who was struggling academically, and he was quick to show empathy and careful to provide supportive referrals when they were struggling personally. He truly cared about people, and that kind of genuine concern is something students could easily see in Adam.”
Brandon Grainger, Swanson faculty member and director of its AMPED (Advanced Magnetics for Power and Energy Development) program, said Balawejder had just begun working with AMPED, which connects current undergraduates to industry — in this case, Curtiss-Wright-EMD, where Balawejder worked as an electrical engineer for nearly 20 years. “We were only starting to build that up.”
Grainger also recalled his colleague as being especially effective at teaching the school’s first-year course: “It takes special and gifted people to be in charge of that. Adam had that spunky personality about him. He made you comfortable. It is a warm spirit.”
“I absolutely loved working with Adam,” said Irene Mena, Swanson faculty member and director of the First-Year Engineering Program. “He loved to teach, cared about his students, and always brought joy to our meetings with his sense of humor. To say that he will be missed is an understatement.”
Born in Springdale, Pa., on Oct. 24, 1984, he is survived by his father, Bruce Balawejder; his sister, Emily Balawejder; and his partner, Laura Palmer.
— Marty Levine