It’s probably not every day that you hear how someone’s journey to Aerospace Engineering began by watching Captain Janeway lead her crew home from the Delta Quadrant in Star Trek: Voyager.
Ever since I discovered the Star Trek world in seventh grade, I have been fascinated with the dynamics of a passionate team using their unique experiences and backgrounds to come together and solve really difficult problems. Although I was unsure of my future career at the time, I resonated with this fast-paced environment of creative thinking and scientific breakthroughs. In high school, I applied for the Summer 2018 Engineers Aiming for Gender Equity and Representation (EAGER) aerospace camp at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where I had the opportunity to experience what life would look like as an Aerospace Engineering student by staying in dorms, attending lectures, observing demonstrations, and participating in hands-on projects. Aerospace camp was my first formal introduction to physics. After learning the fundamentals of flight mechanics, spacecraft design, and propulsion at camp, I returned from summer break with clarity on the career path I wished to pursue.
Working at NASA quickly became my top priority, and for that dream to become a reality, I knew I needed to set clear goals for myself and pursue them diligently. I studied Engineering Physics for three years at Eastern Illinois University (EIU) so I could remain in my hometown until I was ready to transfer to Illinois. The program allowed me to earn my EIU physics degree upon completion of an engineering degree from the U of I. The transition was nerve-racking at first, since I grew up in a close and familiar community, but I was immediately welcomed and supported by my Aerospace peers and faculty, giving me the confidence to dive into this new chapter of my life. I joined the Illinois Space Society (ISS) – a space-centered student organization – where I participated in the technical project Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL), which is a NASA-sponsored systems engineering challenge in which participants develop innovative concepts for systems and technologies in support of manned space exploration. It was through ISS’s RASC-AL team that I was first exposed to the fundamentals of the systems engineering process that I use today in my job at NASA! I also served as a science communications co-lead on the Educational Outreach Board, engaging with local K-12 students to foster scientific curiosity and share my passion with the next generation. As an ISS member, I even designed, built, and launched a model rocket to earn my Level One High Power Rocketry certification. Being part of ISS gave me a valuable community that led to meaningful connections I have taken with me beyond my studies and into life post-graduation.
As an Aerospace student, AE311: Incompressible Flow with Professor Saxton-Fox was a class that really left an impact on me. She created a learning environment where I felt free and encouraged to ask questions and admit when something didn’t quite make sense. My experience in AE311 helped me identify gaps in my understanding and abilities. Coding skills and using algorithmic thinking were difficult for me at first, and this class gave me the opportunity to start improving in those areas. Getting to know Professor Saxton-Fox also opened the opportunity to do a summer research project under her mentorship through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and Illinois Space Grant Consortium (ISGC). This project elevated my resume, pushing me closer to the possibilities of a career with NASA.
After multiple attempts and much persistence, in my second year at Illinois, I was accepted into the NASA Pathways Program – a co-op internship designed to lead university students to a full-time career at the agency. Currently, I am a Spacecraft Propulsion Systems Analyst at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. I am learning to develop models to simulate the behavior of spacecraft propulsion systems, working with various software on individual and collaborative projects. I absolutely love that my job allows me to be part of the story of human space exploration, and that I am pursuing the life I envisioned for myself as a kid watching Star Trek all those years ago.
I aspire to keep learning, whether by earning a master’s degree or growing in my current job, so that I can continue to support revolutionary space exploration programs (such as the Artemis program to reestablish human presence on the Moon and an eventual crewed trip to Mars). My daily work responsibilities require me to lean on the problem-solving skills I developed in my six years of engineering school – when presented with an issue to solve, I often search through my old notes for useful equations, problem-solving approaches, and references to textbook passages. Unlike structured classes or assignments in college, where the solution to a homework problem is known, much of my professional experience centers on iterative model development and validation against test data. It's a different kind of problem-solving environment than I grew used to in college.
All of this to say, my achievements were made possible by my commitment to persistence: I actively chose to take risks, diligently study, build my resume, repeatedly apply to internships, and push through every class. If there is something you love and want to learn, pursue it with everything you’ve got. Let people see that you are passionate about it. And never give up! At the end of the day, engineering is a team effort, so don’t close yourself off. Share the experience of studying and problem-solving with your peers (Aerolab, for example, became one of my favorite study spaces on campus because I got to spend time with other motivated students). It is equally important to remember that you get to choose your attitude when things get challenging – just as in rocket science, the way you approach a problem can determine your outcome.
After I graduated, I got to be a counselor for the very same EAGER summer camp that ignited my journey as a young engineer 7 years earlier. It was a true “full orbit” moment for me, and one that signified how I am, and have always been, exactly where I was meant to be.