Why did you choose to study at Illinois?

The financial aid package made college affordable, Illinois’ aerospace engineering program is highly ranked above many other programs, and several of my good friends from high school and middle school were also attending UIUC, so this made college much more enjoyable!

Why aerospace engineering?

During my senior year of high school, I had no clue what major I wanted to pick and only knew it would be math and science related. So, I went online and Googled “Top 10 highest paying majors for high school students interested in math and science” and aerospace engineering was the coolest sounding one on the list. After participating in several aerospace related student organizations and research projects in my undergraduate studies, I gradually fell in love with the problem-solving and the creativity aspects of aerospace engineering!

What course or professor helped you choose your specialty?

The individual who inspired me to pursue the field of polymer composites manufacturing is Dr. Nil Parikh. He is the person I consider to be my first college mentor and he gave me my first undergraduate research assistant opportunity. Throughout my sophomore year when I worked under him in the Sottos Research Group, he taught me the value of taking pride in my work and this instilled in me the importance of always learning so that I can constantly grow in engineering and in life.

 What's projects stand out for you?

Since my sophomore year, I have been an undergraduate research assistant in composite manufacturing under the Sottos Research Group and Baur Research Group. Through a variety of projects such as researching frontal polymerizable composites, deconstructable composites, and additive manufacturing of continuous fiber composites, I am grateful to have had the experience to be on the cutting-edge of science among a group of talented graduate students, post-docs, and professors who have all been great mentors to me! These research experiences have taught me to always prioritize the quality of my work and to understand that failure is a part of the process of learning more about science and yourself!

I have also been a member of the Illinois Space Society. Specifically, I am on the fabrication team of the Spaceshot program. On the team, I was very involved in the composite manufacturing of our high-powered rocket such as manufacturing our nosecones and fin cans. This was a great learning experience for me because I used my composite manufacturing research experience on applications such as rocketry as well as to make friends, work in a team, and improve my communication skills. Through every success and failure at a rocket launch or a manufacturing session, I learned to make everything an opportunity to grow. So even if an idea already worked or especially if it failed, being a part of ISS made me always question “How can I do it even better?”

What are you particularly proud of?

I learned how to have a balanced life. During high school, one of my biggest regrets was not making enough time for myself. I spent most of my time doing homework or extracurricular activities and reflecting on it, I wished that I had taken time to do things that I liked outside of school. As a result, at the beginning of my first year at Illinois, I made it a priority to set a certain amount of time each week it to doing whatever I wanted. Whether it be going out with friends, going to the gym, or just taking a walk while listening to music, these small moments over the past four years made it much more enjoyable!

Did you have any internships?

In the summer of 2023, I was an airframe integrity group stress Intern for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems located in Poway, California. There, I learned a lot about structural finite element analysis applied to composite and metallic structures. Outside of the technical experience, I also made a ton of great friends and the San Diego area is a great place to make fun memories! Plenty of sunny beaches and great places to eat.

 You ended high school at the beginning of the pandemic and began college while many restrictions were still in place. How did you cope?

Despite not having a high school graduation, being on lockdown for about five months, and having virtually no in-person classes my freshman year, I think that the best way I coped with the pandemic was by holding onto every resemblance of normalcy as I could.

The pandemic changed a lot about my life such as working/going to school online, staying six feet apart, and not being allowed to have large gatherings. However, despite that, I made sure to keep as much of my old life as possible like talking with my friends through the internet or taking walks as much as I could whenever the weather was nice. This method kept me as optimistic as possible by training myself to focus on the good things and to not let the bad things get the best of me.

What’s next for you?

This summer, I will be a structural analysis engineer intern at Relativity Space in Long Beach, California. Afterwards, I will be returning to UIUC to pursue my master’s degree in aerospace engineering as a research assistant in Prof. Jeff Baur’s research group to study more about polymer composites manufacturing.

I decided to pursue graduate school because it provided me the most opportunity to learn new skills and lead technical projects. I would like to become a technical manager in engineering either in the field of polymer composites manufacturing or structural analysis.

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

1. get my master’s degree
2. get a job near a beach with warm and sunny weather with lots of good cuisine nearby
3. own a 50^th floor penthouse and a Porsche 911 GT3
4. go on a date with award-winning singer and songwriter Dua Lipa
5. attain a bench press of 405 lbs
6. tame a wolf
7. enjoy life every step of the way