Why did you choose to study at Illinois?

When deciding where to attend college, I was initially between U. of I. and another popular engineering school in the Midwest. What drove me to choose Illinois was the incredible reputation of the aerospace engineering department and the various opportunities within it.

The faculty and program support and work with you to ensure you excel. I liked the idea of being part of a community where the goal was to help students succeed—not to “weed” us out. I also knew U. of I.’s top-ranked engineering program would provide me with the tools I needed to build a strong network and career in the aerospace industry.

Why aerospace engineering?

I actually did not decide on aerospace engineering until just a few weeks before college applications were due. Throughout high school, I was primarily focused on the medical field and hadn’t explored engineering at all. Growing up, however, I had a love for math, physics and especially space. I was watching documentaries about space before I could even read and made countless visits to our local space exhibit.

I had a feeling I would end up with a career in the space industry. I briefly considered astrophysics, but I wasn’t as interested in research and wanted to be involved in the industry early on.

Aerospace engineering seemed like the right fit, so I applied to the program to give it a try. Once I took my first courses and got involved in hands-on project work, it grew increasingly clear to me that this was the right choice. Now, I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What courses/professors helped you most academically?

A few courses stood out to me. AE311 with Professor Saxton-Fox shaped how I approached technical material, with discussion-based lectures that encouraged us to think critically about the topics prior to being taught the concepts. 

AE353 with Professor Bretl taught me an immense amount about control systems and problem solving through directly applying concepts in complex partnered projects. 

In ME200 with Professor Liebenberg, I enjoyed tying thermodynamics to broader energy systems and real-world applications which made the material much more tangible.

 What projects helped you gain technical expertise?

I have been in leadership for the Illinois Space Society Spaceshot team—the high-power rocketry project—for three years now. Last year, I served as the Project Technical Manager, which was one of the most challenging yet rewarding roles I’ve ever taken on. Through Spaceshot, I gained technical expertise, interpersonal problem-solving skills, logistical and organizational skills, and overall learned how to think like an engineer and leader.

The way I started off on the team was memorable to say the least as the first launches I was part of were two back-to-back catastrophic failures. Experiencing these failures early on pushed me to stay involved and contribute more meaningfully because I didn’t want to leave without seeing the rocket fly right. The team’s perseverance led to three successful launches and placing at Spaceport America Cup the following year. Experimenting with various roles through the years showed me how much I enjoy being in leadership, working with people, and coordinating team management; it is something I hope to continue pursuing throughout my future career. 

When I look back on college, I know I couldn’t remember it without the early morning rocket launches in the desert or the late-night integration sessions spent building and laughing with my teammates.

What are you particularly proud of?

I’m especially proud of how I grew into my role as Spaceshot Lead. I initially stepped into the role with little confidence in myself and faced many technical problems and challenges regarding interpersonal conflicts within the team. We had many failed launches, including a second failed staging attempt and being unable to recover a sustainer.

Rocketry is a gamble in some ways because you can spend hundreds of hours building a rocket and designing your systems, but one missed detail can lead to a failed launch for all teams. Through these difficulties, the team showed incredible resilience as we continued to make improvements and continually test our systems.

By the end of the year, we had launched the first successful 2-stage rocket at Illinois, set a record altitude after seven years, and took 2nd place at the FAR Unlimited Competition. I am proud of my personal growth through this role, and I came out of the year with confidence in my decisions and problem-solving abilities. Much of the work accomplished was pivotal to the Spaceshot program since we continue to use these techniques.

Did you have any internships?

The summer after sophomore year, I interned at Inversion Space in Los Angeles, where I did structural engineering for space cargo capsules. In addition to helping troubleshoot and adding redundant sensors to the Ray drop test vehicle, I had ownership in designing and conducting analysis for the Arc test drop vehicle, which gathered flight data and demonstrated functionality of the guided recovery system.

The summer after junior year, I interned at SpaceX in Seattle, where I worked on Starlink Space Lasers Engineering. I had ownership of the mechanical design for the mini fiber amplifier system from design requirements and conception to the final fully functioning prototype. I worked on mechanical design concepts, system architecture trades, thermal and structural analysis, integration mechanisms, and assembled and tested a functioning prototype. It was a steep learning curve at first, but I learned more in 12 weeks than I thought possible.

 How did the pandemic affect you?

The pandemic primarily affected my freshman year. Although most classes were back in person, social distancing and masks were still required, so it was more difficult to meet people or feel a strong sense of community. It was crucial to reach out more often and make an effort to get involved.

What extracurricular experience stands out as memorable for you?

One that stands out is being an Engineering Learning Assistant. I taught a section of Engineering 100 for first-year aerospace engineering students, so I enjoyed mentoring them academically and professionally.

I remember how overwhelming freshman year was for me, so I liked being able to make the transition easier for them. We covered topics such as time management, work-life balance, career fairs, and other professional topics. The most meaningful part was the one-on-ones, where students felt comfortable enough to ask me for advice, and we were able to connect more personally.

How did you decide what to do after you graduate?

I decided to pursue a full-time job after graduation because I loved working in industry and wanted to immediately contribute to solving problems in space technology. I also wanted to explore more disciplines in aerospace engineering and gain real-world experience prior to considering higher education.

Through just my two internships, I learned a lot about how the industry operates, so I am hoping that working full-time for a few years will give me perspective on where I want my long-term career to take me.

Where will you be located and what will you be doing?

I will be returning to work full time at SpaceX in Seattle as a mechanical engineer on the Space Lasers Team for Starlink. I will be doing structural design for the satellite laser communications systems, with a focus on the fiber amplifier system.

 Do you have any other career goals?

I try to keep my long-term goals flexible because they change drastically with each new experience. At some point in my career, I hope to be involved in project management and technical leadership. I enjoy working across disciplines and gaining a holistic view of a project.

I also recently developed an interest in space policy and law and think it would be interesting to pursue later on in my career. It seems like space policy allows you to make a wider impact in the industry especially with the increasing privatization of space.

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

I love visiting national parks and want to visit as many of them as I can in the next few years. I am excited to live in Seattle because it will make a lot of them more accessible. I also look forward to hiking there and challenging myself with difficult trails.

Another thing I plan to do is travel abroad since I haven’t much yet. I am excited to start this summer with visiting two different countries and hope to visit more in the future.