Why Choose Aerospace at Illinois?

Navya Meka is from Buffalo Grove, Illinois. She graduated in May '25 with a B.S. in aerospace engineering and began working at SpaceX in Seattle as a mechanical engineer on the Space Lasers Team for Starlink. 

"What drove me to choose Illinois was the incredible reputation of the aerospace engineering department and the various opportunities within it. The faculty and program support and work with you to ensure you excel. I liked the idea of being part of a community where the goal was to help students succeed—not to “weed” us out. I also knew U. of I.’s top-ranked engineering program would provide me with the tools I needed to build a strong network and career in the aerospace industry.

I actually didn't decide on aerospace engineering until just a few weeks before college applications were due. Throughout high school, I was primarily focused on the medical field and hadn’t explored engineering at all. Growing up, however, I had a love for math, physics and especially space. I was watching documentaries about space before I could even read and made countless visits to our local space exhibit.

I had a feeling I would end up with a career in the space industry. I briefly considered astrophysics, but I wasn’t as interested in research and wanted to be involved in the industry early on.

Aerospace engineering seemed like the right fit, so I applied to the program to give it a try. Once I took my first courses and got involved in hands-on project work, it grew increasingly clear to me that this was the right choice. Now, I can’t imagine doing anything else."

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