December AE grad Mitchell Waldron reflects on his time at Illinois

AE senior Mitchell Waldron is originally from the Bay Area in California and just earned his B.S. in aerospace engineering this month.

"I came at a very strange time during COVID, so almost all my first-year classes were online. I think how small we were brought our class together," he said.

Throughout his time here, Waldron has mainly been involved in the Air Force ROTC.

"It ties in with my experience in aerospace," he said. "There are two main tracks— the air and space sides. I lean more toward the air side, but one of the best parts is meeting so many people who are experts in their own specific areas — everyone brings their own unique expertise to the table."

One of Waldron's favorite experiences at U. of I. was the introductory course AE 100, which gave him more hands-on experience. It was also one of the few in-person courses he could take during his first year due to COVID-19.

"It was really nice to be able to actually experience designing and building something hands on," Waldron said. "I think a lot of people don't realize engineering is a lot more math and science than working with your hands, so actually being able to build something and test it in the first semester of college is awesome. It helps develop your, ‘why you want to be here, what you really want to do.’"

Now, at the end of his college experience, Waldron has also enjoyed completing his senior design project.

"For the senior design class, you're going to be staying up in the aero lounge, pulling 30-hour weeks just on the senior design project itself," Waldron said. "You really learn a lot about aerospace engineering as a whole, but also yourself, because as you continue that full-year process, you start to put everything you've learned together to design a plane."

According to Waldron, getting to work with his team made the project even more special.

"It's just such a valuable experience getting to work with everyone, and I was blessed to have such a great team," he said. "I give them full props. I could have done more, but they were just a great team to work with. It was a great experience, seeing everyone working toward that common goal with a little friendly competition. At the end of the day, you get to see that 100-page report, the culmination of all your hard work paying off. Plus, it's always great to see fellow teams win the AIAA design competition."

Another way Waldron has been making the most out of his experience here is working with his professors outside of class. He recommends that everyone find a professor they can further connect with.

"Really, I just talk with my professors, and I think that's the biggest thing I did," Waldron said. "Meeting with Professor Merret— talking with him about his expertise is very enlightening and broadening. I know Professor Merret is probably sick of me after being in his office for nearly two years."

Waldron believes all the Illinois professors bring their talents, and by talking to any of them, any student will be able to find one they click with.

"Find the professor that interests you, and you can talk with them for hours. You start to realize that you stand on the shoulders of some great aerospace giants at Illinois," he said.

Waldron's first piece of advice to any undergraduate is to find the people they can connect with, as it gives them an escape from schoolwork.

"Whether that's people in aerospace or outside of aerospace, find a group of people you connect with, who you can go to," he said. "I say in aerospace and outside aerospace because its two very different groups of people. It's very important to be able to just unwind at the end of a long day with people who probably aren't also complaining about the same assignments as you."

As a final note, Waldron puts an emphasis on building relationships when starting at U. of I., stating that there are numerous opportunities to take advantage of it.

"My biggest advice is to find something, somewhere, that you want to explore, and there will be someone that will give you so many opportunities to learn and grow," Waldron said. "There's just so much experience and research, so much going on; you just have to be able to put yourself out there and ask."

Mitchell ended by saying, "I'm going to steal something Professor Merret would say, 'Just do the dang work.’ My journey certainly hasn't been easy, but I will be proud to call myself an Illinois aerospace alum."