Aerospace student selected to Aviation Week’s list of 20 Twenties

This week, Aviation Week Network announced their class of 2025 20 Twenties. Yair Guerreo, a senior in aerospace engineering, was selected from 90 nominees at 46 colleges and universities worldwide. He will be formally recognized as one of the 20 Twenties in Washington, D.C. later this year.

In a letter of recommendation to Aviation Week’s selection committee, Matthew Clarke described Guerrero as having a strong work ethic, dedication to tackling challenging theoretical problems, and formation of a deep understanding of how community health can inform aircraft noise abatement procedures.

“Among the undergraduate students I have mentored during my first year, Yair stands out,” Clarke said. Clarke is on the faculty of the Department of Aerospace Engineering in The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Clarke said Guerrero expressed his interest in pursuing a Ph.D. and approached him to do an independent study that would allow him to apply what he learned in his classes. Clarke was impressed with his initiative and took him on as a research assistant on a project exploring the affects of helicopter surveillance noise on urban minority communities.

Outside of his courses and research with Clarke, Guerrero is a leader in the campus Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, serving first as outreach chair, then treasurer where he raised over $80,000 to help empower Hispanics in STEM. This year, he is president of SHPE.

Guerrero is a first-generation Mexican American, his parents having immigrated to the U.S. from Jalisco, Mexico. They made a home in Illinois, where Guerrero was born. He talks openly about barriers he dealt with growing up in Aurora, such as an undiagnosed hearing disability that was eventually corrected with surgery.  At age 15, he enrolled in the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy boarding school where he was one of just 12 Hispanic students in his class.

“Throughout my undergraduate career, it has been apparent my background and story were vastly different from my peers as one of the few minority students in my department,” Guerrero said. “Searching for support on campus, I met Professor Clarke. With his mentorship, he fostered my passion for research coupled with creating positive change in communities like mine—communities of inspired individuals who lack resources.”

Clarke said, “As a minority in STEM, I am proud to mentor him and help him navigate the graduate school application process. He shared with me his own experience in mentoring individuals from underrepresented minority groups, particularly first-generation-low-income and Latinx students. This was truly inspiring and indicative of his potential to significantly impact the aerospace community, one in dire need of greater representation.”

For the complete list of this year’s winners, visit https://www.cbs42.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/774576514/aviation-week-network-announces-class-of-2025-20-twenties-winners/.