Aerospace engineering alumna one of twenty recognized as emerging leaders
Sarah (Weems) Troupe may have only been officially in the workforce since May, but she’s already being recognized for her outstanding talents.
Troupe was recently named to Aviation Week’s Twenty20s list based on her involvement as a student at Iowa State and her contributions to the aerospace and defense industry. She was chosen out of more than ninety applicants and will be honored in November at the annual Aerospace and Defense Programs Conference in Litchfield Park, Arizona. She will also be featured in Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine.
“Being selected for the Twenty20s list is not only a huge honor, but also a humbling reminder of how blessed I am to have had opportunities that are considered valuable in the aerospace and defense industries. Since graduating from Iowa State, I have reflected a lot on all of the unique experiences I have had to work on leading technologies and research in all aspects of the aerospace industry during my time in college,” she said.
Troupe is now a propulsion engineer at Boeing’s Phantom Works and advanced weapons programs working on inlet design, trajectory optimization, engine testing and analysis, and vehicle demonstration. She chose Boeing because the programs the company supports have changed how the aerospace and defense industries function around the world.
While working at Boeing, Troupe has used her community involvement skills learned at Iowa State to interact with others in the company through extracurricular involvement in innovation projects, career development, and community events. She knows her passion for these activities comes from working with student organizations in college.
Troupe was involved as the president of Sigma Gamma Tau and treasurer of the Iowa State Space Society. She served as a role model for younger students as a Destination Iowa State leader and a volunteer for numerous STEM outreach events. She also enjoyed building relationships with other students on campus through Cardinal Key, Tau Beta Pi, and the Salt Company.
Much like her decision to work at Boeing, coming to Iowa State was an obvious choice for Troupe, who has been a Cyclone since birth. Furthermore, after she saw the beautiful campus, student involvement opportunities, and the College of Engineering prospects, she said, “My decision was made: I was going to be a Cyclone for life.”
Although Troupe made many memories during her time at Iowa State, she thinks the friendships fostered in Howe Hall are her favorite. “I would say building friendships and a community with the aerospace engineering students was the most memorable part of my years at ISU. All of my classmates and I were buried in work, stressed out about the upcoming exams and tired, but we learned together how to survive the challenges of college and became each other’s support.” Troupe went on to explain that while during college she looked forward to not spending late nights in Howe, she now misses it.
She would like to thank everyone – faculty members, co-workers, classmates, and friends – who worked with her during her time at Iowa State, as well as her family. Troupe says these are the people who taught her she could achieve anything in front of her with hard work, faith, passion and dedication.
She married college sweetheart Paul Troupe this summer. Paul graduated in May 2014 with an aerospace engineering degree and works as an aerodynamics engineer in the Active Flow Control group at Boeing. The Troupe’s enjoy “nerding out” to the latest news in the aerospace industry as well as sharing their passion for aerospace engineering with others.