Why did you choose to study at Illinois?

Growing up, my family had always been huge fans of Illinois sports, we would attend basketball games and watch Illini sports on TV. Though, I ultimately decided to study at the University of Illinois after visiting Engineering Open House during my freshman and sophomore years of high school.

Before those visits, I honestly didn’t know much about engineering. After seeing all the hands-on projects and learning about the different paths available got me really excited. Plus, it just felt like the perfect fit due to it being a prestigious, in-state school that was close to home

Why aerospace engineering?

Throughout high school I was quite unsure what I wanted to do in the future. For a while I had considered becoming a pilot, and I had always been fascinated with space growing up. However, after visiting EOH at Illinois, I decided I wanted to study aerospace engineering. At the time I was really interested in nuclear rocket propulsion.

Who helped you most?

I would say the most influential faculty and staff members I’ve had in the Aerospace Department are Professor Jeff Baur and Laura Gerhold.

I first met Professor Baur when I was in my freshman year. At the time, I was especially interested in Aerospace Materials, specifically composites, due to my work on the Illinois Space Society’s high-powered rocketry team, Spaceshot. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I joined the Baur Research Group and began working in the Composites and Additive Manufacturing Lab, where I have now been involved for 3 years.

Through undergraduate research, I’ve had the opportunity to work on projects with an end goal to develop a framework for in-space manufacturing of carbon fiber composite tubes. My specific focus has been on manufacturing the carbon fiber tubes and performing various outgassing tests on our resin to ensure it meets NASA’s outgassing standards. The experience has given me in-depth knowledge of working with carbon fiber composites and the requirements for manufacturing and testing materials in-space.

In addition to being my research advisor, Professor Baur has also served as my faculty advisor since my sophomore year. I also took his course AE428 class, Mechanics of Composites, which allowed me to dive much deeper into Composite Laminate Theory.

As for Laura Gerhold, she is not only one of the academic advisors in the aerospace department, but she is much more than that. Laura has been an incredible source of support throughout my college career, especially while in my roles within the Illinois Space Society.

I am constantly amazed by her deep knowledge of the Department of Aerospace Engineering the inter-workings of The Grainger College of Engineering. Anytime I had questions she always knew the answer or the right person to talk to. Beyond that, she was always there when I needed someone to talk to or help me navigate a challenge.

I can say without hesitation that Laura is one of the most incredible people I have ever met, and I truly don’t know what I would have done without her.

 

What projects helped you gain technical expertise?

During my freshman and sophomore years at the University of Illinois, I was heavily involved with Illinois Space Society’s Spaceshot High-Powered Rocketry Materials and Manufacturing team. When I first entered college, I wasn’t entirely sure which area within aerospace engineering I wanted to pursue. I considered paths such as propulsion and even guidance, navigation and controls, but none of them really fit.

This changed when I joined the ISS Materials and Manufacturing team. I had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with composite materials, including performing wet layups, vacuum bagging composite parts, and even curing them! We did everything from developing and fabricating our own fiberglass nosecones and carbon fiber fin cans to drilling holes and assembling the entire rocket structure ourselves.

Through this hands-on work, I developed a love for aerospace materials and composites. This experience ultimately helped me decide my focus in aerospace. I can confidentially say if I had not joined the ISS Materials and Manufacturing team, my path as an engineer would look vastly different today.

As part of the team, I also had the opportunity to travel to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to compete in the Spaceport America Cup International Rocketry Competition for two consecutive summers. It was so amazing seeing our work launch into the air, and in the summer of 2023, our team took 2^nd place in the 30,000 ft Commercial Off-The Shelf division!

What are you particularly proud of?

One of the things I am most proud of from my time at Illinois is the incredible friendships and connections I’ve made. Not only is the aerospace department home to amazing faculty and staff, but beyond that, I had the opportunity to meet my best friend, Nicole Orloff, during my time here. I can honestly say without her, making it through my degree in aerospace engineering would have been much more challenging.

Because we met my sophomore year, we’ve experienced and accomplished so much together, such as both serving as leaders for registered student organizations, working as engineering learning assistants for the aerospace department, taking air-side senior design together, and even standing in line for six hours to watch an Illini basketball game.

Nicole is the person that will always say yes to my spontaneous ideas, whether it be doing a 22-mile hike while I was interning in Washington or skydiving with me for the first time! I have always been able to count on her for anything and having her by my side truly changed my college experience. Our friendship is truly one of the things I’m most proud of during my time at Illinois.

Did you have any internships?

Throughout my undergraduate time in aerospace engineering, I have had the opportunity to secure three internships at Boeing! 

My first internship took place after my sophomore year, which I obtained through the Grainger Engineering Fall Career Fair in collaboration with Boeing’s Engineering Accelerated Hiring Initiative. From this, I worked as a composite fabrication engineer in Tukwila, Washington, where I supported research and development efforts focused on composite stringers for commercial aircraft applications.

The following summer, I returned to Boeing as a specialty materials engineering intern in Kent, Washington. In this role I supported projects related to the development of composite structures and even syntactic foams. One of the most exciting parts of this internship was being able to work in a variety of labs across the Seattle Boeing sites.

Now, I am beginning my third internship with Boeing, this time in Mesa, Arizona as a specialty materials engineer! Here I will be working on projects supporting the AH-64 Apache Helicopter program, working on composites such as the helicopter’s rotor blades!

 

Describe a challenge you faced and how you resolved it? 

During my senior year of college, I made the decision to take air-side aerospace systems design, which was surprising considering my undergraduate career had been primarily space oriented. In the first semester, we were introduced to the fundamentals of aircraft design, covering topics such as aerodynamics, propulsion, performance and other core disciplines.

Coming into the course, I had very limited knowledge of aircraft systems, as most of my experience was centered around designing and building rockets. As a result, I struggled the first semester of the class, not only because I was catching up on unfamiliar concepts, but also due to the rigor of the course itself.

In the second semester, we were divided into teams to design an uncrewed aerial vehicle Homeland Defense Interceptor Aircraft for the AIAA Aircraft Design Competition. Here the fundamentals that we had learned in the first semester started to fall into place to design a real aircraft. I specifically contributed to the structures and loads and dynamics aspects of our aircraft, Volantis.

Overall, I was fortunate to work with an amazing team, and I’m so grateful for the hard work and late nights everyone put into it to complete our design. I am also very thankful to Professor Merret for his guidance and instruction throughout the course. He shows students what it is really like to work in the field of aircraft design.

What extracurricular experience stands out as memorable for you?

During my time at Illinois, I have been mostly involved with the Illinois Space Society, a student organization that has played a major role in shaping who I am today. Over the past four years I have served in multiple leadership roles, including director, assistant director, treasurer, and a member of the Spaceshot high-powered rocketry materials and manufacturing team.

As director, I had the opportunity to lead a 600-member student organization dedicated to giving its members the tools necessary to pursue their dreams in the field of space exploration. ISS achieves this through numerous technical projects, educational outreach events, and professional development opportunities.

These roles granted me so many incredible experiences, such as taking a group of students to the Goddard Space Science Symposium in Washington, D.C. and speaking at the SpaceVision conference in Denver, Colorado. I also gained valuable skills in managing large-scale budgets, corporate relations, and collaborating with faculty and staff in the aerospace department and The Grainger College of Engineering.

It has been amazing to witness the impact ISS has on students and the amazing internships, jobs, and research opportunities they can gain through their experience in our club.

Did you have any study abroad experiences?

During my junior year, I had the opportunity to participate in a short-term, faculty led study abroad to Cape Town, South Africa! This program is unique due to you participating in an 8-week departure during the fall semester, leading up to the trip over winter break. In this course, we learned about South African culture and worked in teams to create educational outreach projects, which we would later present to a local school in Cape Town!

Other than visiting Canada, this was my first time traveling outside of the United States. Visiting South Africa was an amazing opportunity to experience what life is like outside of the United States. While in Cape Town, we visited various communities, tried traditional South African meals, explored various landmarks, learned traditional dancing, and so much more. 

I also had the privilege to experience this with such an amazing group of people, who I now have long lasting memories with.

 

How did you decide what to do after you graduate?

During my freshman and sophomore years, I was fairly certain I wanted to go straight into industry after graduation. I didn’t see myself pursing more school and I just wanted to start working immediately. However, that perspective changed after my first internship at Boeing. I noticed that many of my co-workers and mentors that I admired possessed either a master’s degree or a Ph.D. This shifted my perspective, and I came to the realization that I wanted to pursue my master’s before entering into the workforce.

After graduation, I’ll be continuing at the University of Illinois to pursue my master’s with thesis in materials science and engineering. I’m excited to continue my research in the Composites and Additive Manufacturing Lab under Professor Jeff Baur.

Do you have other career goals?

After my master’s degree, I hope to work in the research and development on new aerospace materials and structures. I have always enjoyed performing hands-on work in the lab, and I would like to continue that in my full-time role.

What's on your bucket list of must-dos over the next 5 years?

• Backpack from the north to south rim of the Grand Canyon
• Obtain my private pilot’s license
• Complete a marathon
• Visit as many national parks as possible!