What was your greatest challenge & how you overcame it?

I took on a lot of different responsibilities all at once, including research, teaching, and a second degree program. It was very gratifying and I had all sorts of great experiences, but it led to a lot of long days and difficult decisions.

I was able to make it through thanks to open communication, careful planning, and understanding on the part of my advisers and collaborators, but it was not easy.

If you could do it over, what would you do differently?

The university has a staggering amount to offer, both inside and outside of research. Looking back, I wish I had been more diligently on the lookout for university resources from the very beginning; there were a lot of great opportunities for enrichment and support that I didn't seek out until far into my program.

One of my favorite recommendations (outside of the engineering realm) is the University Library: I got a lot of joy browsing the Main Stacks and visiting the Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Describe a break-through moment in your research.

My research involved lots of conjecture-and-proof. Often, I'd have an idea and be completely sure it would give a certain result, but I needed to prove that my conjecture was right. This led to a lot of funny circumstances where I would spend weeks proverbially banging my head on a wall and telling everyone I talked to that I know this is right... but I don't know how I know, and I don't know how to prove it!

The process of proving these ideas was an incremental process of exciting breakthroughs and frustrating stumbling blocks, but there was something very special (and unnerving) about those moments when I realized I'd found the light at the end of the tunnel in a nagging proof.

Any fun memories?

I participated in the Cross Country and Track Clubs semi-consistently from the start of my bachelor's in 2015 and into graduate school. I really enjoyed being with the team and running in races, but one very unique experience I had was watching the team grow up.

I was around for so long that I saw many new members go from nervous freshmen to confident seniors and was able to see how the team culture developed over "generations."

What's next for you in your career?

I'm on the hunt for research/industry positions in Explainable Autonomy, hopefully in aerospace.

Parting thoughts?

I am humbled and grateful for the ways that the University of Illinois shaped my life over the past 10 years. It has been a great community and I've felt very at home in Urbana-Champaign. I will miss it.

(As an aside: I just realized I've spent more than a third of my life as a student at U. of I.)