Why did you choose to study at Illinois?

My selection got narrowed down to UIUC and Purdue because of cost and opportunities. From there it was a fairly easy decision.

Why aerospace engineering?

Flight of all kinds has interested me since I was very young. Aerospace calls to me as a field of strong innovation and the spirit of freedom.

What course or professor helped you choose your specialty?

During sophomore year I took AE 202- Aerospace Flight Mechanics, our introductory class on all of the fundamentals of flight.  Taught by the former Professor Zachary Putnam, I began to understand from the class that what really interests me is the field of hypersonic flight research, and the many fun complications that come with it. I continued after the course doing research over the summer with Professor Putnam on a related topic, and within a year I had narrowed down my specialty.

 What project have you worked on that stands out?

For several years now I have been an active member of the hybrid rocket propulsion team as part of Illinois Space Society. This gave me useful hands-on experience with compressed gases and the practical problems that come with engine design. Additionally, our senior design class project has stood out from my other activities here. Because I chose aircraft systems design, I have been exposed to a field I had previously barely touched. The level of teamwork, leadership, and the expectations of quality work have well prepared me to move on with my career.

What are you proud of from your undergrad years?

I have found great pride in my academic work. My overall success in courses and participation in research make me feel that I have fulfilled my purpose here as a student.

Did you study abroad? Where? What did you do?

I studied abroad in Toulouse, France during the spring semester of my junior year. I was able to fulfill credits for core classes as well as some interesting technical electives and a research project related to my field of interest. I traveled to Spain, Italy, and Germany during my time there and found cultural exposure that I have begun to crave again.

 You ended high school at the beginning of the pandemic and began college while many restrictions were still in place. What did you learn about yourself from that experience?

For me, this represents an interesting social experience, pertaining to academics. Although many professors and students alike talk about students falling behind in their coursework, possibly struggling with quality learning, I personally learned that many of the issues could be remedied with personal work ethic.  I am often told that my education suffered because of the pandemic, but I genuinely believe that it taught me valuable lessons in self-starting and perseverance.

How did you decide what to do after graduation?

I decided within two years of my education that graduate school was my best option because of my interests and desired career. Although I originally planned to complete a master’s degree, my current advisor helped me to understand that continuing to a Ph.D. will lead me to the job opportunities I want. With a Ph.D. focused on the fundamentals of hypersonic propulsion, I will be able to work on the cutting edge of flight research.

I will be staying at Illinois under the tutelage of Professor Tonghun Lee. I will likely do research in the fundamental fluid physics involved in scramjet operation, but the exact topic is undecided at the moment.

Do you have specific career goals?

My goal is for my education and career to ultimately allow me to work with the propulsion systems of single-stage-to-orbit launch vehicles, or a similar regime of flight. This would likely mean a career with NASA or a national research laboratory.

What’s on your bucket list of must-dos for the next 5 years?

I definitely want to travel more in the future and I have many countries on the list, with most of them being chosen because of their cuisines. Additionally, I would like to create and publish a niche computational tool which must be run in a command line interface, has jokes hidden in the documentation, and which will be discovered in 10 years by a struggling undergraduate student and help them to complete their homework.