Why did you choose to study at Illinois?

I chose the University of Illinois in large part because I attended an aerospace engineering camp on campus—now known as the Illinois Aerospace Institute summer camp. I had an extremely positive experience, and I enjoyed learning from Dr. Woodard, who led the camp, and the undergrad/graduate students who were involved. When it came time to choose a university, this experience, Illinois’ engineering reputation, and receiving the Aerospace Visionary Scholarship made the decision easy.

Why aerospace engineering?

Though it may sound cliche, I grew up wanting a career that would truly make an impact on our society. I feel that aerospace engineering is a way to truly advance society forward and be a part of writing the history of humanity. Engineers consistently push the boundaries of technology, and there is nothing more exciting than astronautics and spaceflight to me!

What course or professor helped you choose your specialty?

I was able to take a CubeSat design class, ENG491, with Dr. Michael Lembeck and graduate students from the Laboratory for Advanced Space Systems at Illinois. This course was one of my introductions into true space systems engineering, and it allowed me to learn the foundation of academic research on CubeSat/spacecraft systems.

The systems engineering mindset I learned here is something I still apply to my industry work today. I am also always grateful to the graduate students I worked with as I learned many technical skills from their guidance and learned a lot about the aerospace engineering world in general from them.

What are you particularly proud of?

Educational outreach is something I am passionate about. I am proud to have been a part of programs with this initiative, and I love working with younger students to help them in any way.

Throughout my time at Illinois, I was able to support STEM educational outreach through a few roles such as a Women in Engineering ambassador, a WIE freshman mentor, and a member of the Illinois Space Society EdOut Board—co-lead for the SciComm competition.

These roles helped my peers and I to reach students from grades K-12 to undergrad. I even worked as a summer counselor at the Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering camps, which was the umbrella program I attended in high school. One of my favorite college experiences has been seeing students on campus who used to be in my camp groups and hearing where they are now.

Did you have any internships and/or study abroad trips?

The spring semester of my junior year, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Toulouse, France at ISAE-SUPAERO. This experience changed my life, and I could not recommend it more to anyone who is interested. The academic environment taught me new skills on how to collaborate with engineers on an international level and challenged me to learn in a new environment I was not used to.

The program provided tours around the Airbus factory, an aeronatical museum called Aeroscopia and a space museum called Cité de l'Espace, which broadened my knowledge on the global aerospace industry outside of the classroom.

Additionally, the personal growth I made during this semester was priceless. I was very fortunate to travel frequently. I learned about so many different cultures, traveled to six new countries, and interacted with many incredible people with different backgrounds than my own.

Even without traveling, being on campus at ISAE allowed me to meet so many engineering students with different backgrounds.

I have been lucky to have two internships during my summer breaks. My first internship was at Northrop Grumman, where I worked as a systems engineering intern in a Radar Warning Receiver laboratory. My second internship was at SpaceX as a ground segment operations engineering intern. The highlight of this internship was sitting on console in mission control for multiple launches!

What extracurricular experience stands out as memorable for you?

My time on the Illinois Space Society Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts Academic Linkage team will always stick out as one of my most memorable and valuable U. of I. experiences.

The mission design competition truly shaped my career interests. When I joined my first year, I quickly found how interested I was in the research and space systems design work the team conducted. This project allowed me to take on a leadership role as an underclassman, and I will particularly never forget presenting in front of commercial industry and NASA professionals.

With multiple years of participation, I gained confidence in my systems engineering skills and learned how to present complex projects to subject matter experts. I was also grateful to attend the AIAA Ascend conference in Las Vegas and take a tour around KSC at the competition’s finals with our team!

I found working with my fellow RASC-AL teammates on this project helped me grow as an engineer as it invoked deep conversation on the work and helped me learn new skills under an encouraging environment. I can truly say I have gotten some of my most valuable advice and learned the most from my RASC-AL peers.

How did you decide what to do after you graduate?

Until the summer before senior year, I was set on attending graduate school and obtaining an M.S. with thesis in aerospace engineering. I enjoyed working in a research/laboratory setting greatly, and I felt that achieving a higher degree would help me pursue a research-orientated industry job.

However, after my study abroad program and my internship at SpaceX, I decided to go straight into industry. I am very passionate about the work I was able to do at my internship, and I enjoyed the hands-on, fast-paced environment more than I could have anticipated. Though it was hard to forgo my original plan, learning and loving this new path is why I found that trying everything out is important.

If you know, where will you be located and what will you be doing next?

I will be returning to SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California as a ground segment operations engineer. The ground segment team is responsible for deploying and operating a network of communication antennas, along with collecting critical vehicle telemetry during each mission. I am extremely excited to continue learning from my team every day and sit in mission control during our launches.

Do you have other career goals?

In the future, I aspire to work in human spaceflight or work in deep space mission planning. Space systems roles are my passion! I would also love to continue working with educational outreach in some form. Inspiring the next generation of engineers is incredibly fulfilling and important to the future of humanity. I know I would not be where I am today without my mentors, and I love to be there for others in the same way.

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

See a rocket launch in person, travel around Europe again, and get a dog!