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Identity is central to learning in engineering, and development of an engineering identity is a core aspect of the education and training process for engineers. Identification with engineering has been shown to assist in the recruitment of diverse students into the field and improve student retention among all groups. For these reasons, engineering educators should consider the formation of professional identity as they make decisions about how to best prepare graduates to enter their chosen fields. In order to utilize professional identity, these educators must understand how their students conceptualize engineering identity. This work seeks to promote that understanding by investigating conceptualizations undergraduate engineers hold of engineering identity, their self-view as engineers, and the sources of these views. Using data collected from pilot focus groups of ten undergraduate students at two different U.S. engineering schools, we applied a grounded theory approach to explore these topics. This exploration found many elements consistent with prior work in engineering identity (e.g. a focus on technical knowledge defining engineering) while adding new elements, such as students’ surprise at the breadth of engineering and desire to use their engineering education as a vehicle to positively impact the world.