Why did you choose to study at Illinois?

I chose to study at the University of Illinois because of its economical price and location and because of the high-quality engineering program. I had always been interested in math and science, and within this interest I always liked the hands-on approach of designing and making things.

Why aerospace engineering?

I chose aerospace engineering because it interested me and because of space exploration’s promising future. I wanted to be a part of this future, which will have a huge impact on all of humanity. I also saw the expansion of the space industry as a great chance for employment.

What course or professor helped you choose your specialty?

Professor Mekior Ornik taught me a lot about controls in AE353. I was interested in the ideas behind controls, and it also involved a lot of programming, which is my favorite part of aerospace engineering. I’m not sure I have much of a specialty, but my main interest is in controls.

 What's projects stand out for you?

The AE443 senior design project taught me a lot about aerospace and myself.

What are you particularly proud of?

The achievement I am most proud of in my years at Illinois is running the 2024 Illinois Marathon. A few people I know ran marathons, which both inspired me and showed me that completing such an arduous race is actually possible.  

I trained for the marathon through a very difficult semester of school, but I stayed consistent and worked through injuries, hard schedules and bad weather to be ready to go on race day.

 The first half was very fun and enjoyable. The third quarter was fine, and the fourth quarter became a brutal slog as I became too tired to run. I didn’t get the time I wanted, unfortunately, and got passed by multiple old men. I like to blame the wind but improper training and preparation on my part, like vacuously forgetting my watch on race day, contributed as well. Regardless, I finished with an acceptable time and I am proud to have completed such a race.

What extracurricular experience stands out a memorable?

My most memorable extracurricular experiences are the Illinois Space Society Solid Propulsion hot fires, where we take the solid propellant motors we work on to a safe location and ignite them to calculate data.

Working on the motors for so long and making incremental progress can make the work seem very boring, and the goal can become unclear. The chance to see the product of our work, and to know that everything that goes right or wrong is caused by us, always makes the time spent getting there worth it.

Can you reflect on how the pandemic affected you?

Sometimes I think about the pandemic and marvel over how astonishing it is that so much of our lives could be changed so dramatically by random chance. Beyond the personal issues, that’s what I would say I took away from the pandemic. Sometimes the best-laid plans are completely destroyed. What’s important in those situations is to make a quick recovery and not give up. 

At the same time, the pandemic changed very little. While plans sometimes go awry, it’s foolish to completely improvise everything and live without any planning at all. I also believe that the pandemic should teach us that even through hardship, we should still maintain the standards of basic human decency. Hardship doesn’t change what’s right and wrong.

What's next for you?

I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be doing after graduation, but it’s almost certain I’ll be doing some kind of graduate program.

What's on your bucket list for the next 5 years?

I want to travel to three different countries.