“Iowa State engineers have two necessary skill sets: The ability to use the engineering knowledge we’ve learned to solve problems and, just as important, the ability to interact well with people. I feel that Cyclone Engineers change the engineering world with the rare ability to work productively with anyone and everyone.”
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Clubs and activities: Martial Arts Club, Cardinal Swing Society, Freeskate Club, Juggling & Unicycling club, Math Club, Open Spaces, YAF, Critical Tinkers and KURE.
Valuable hands-on learning experience: I was a part of STELLAR, a team that is working to design the first liquid rocket engine ever designed by students at Iowa State (M:2:i). STELLAR has allowed me to hone my problem-solving skills since we would solve engineering tasks with limited direct instruction, determining the best solution ourselves. I also gained valuable leadership experience as the Controls Team Lead during my final semester, assigning and organizing tasks to keep my team busy while completing semester-long goals.
Most influential mentor: My senior design professor, Tomas Gonzalez-Torres, was easily my most influential mentor at Iowa State. Being a former NASA Flight Director, Professor Gonzalez-Torres stressed going above and beyond in all of the work that we submitted. And he would always question the reasoning behind our thought process, being genuinely curious about why we made the choices we did, so we truly learned to think like engineers.
Best Memory: My best memories at Iowa State were easily made through the friendships I formed during my time here. Dozens of instances where I simply visited my neighbors in the dorms to hangout while taking a break from homework proved to develop friendships that last to this day and that I expect to last for the rest of my life.
Plans for after graduation: I want to work within the aerospace industry as a propulsion engineer. At Iowa State, I found this subject to be not only one that interests me greatly but one that I performed fairly well in, especially in classes like AerE 311 and AerE 411, Compressible Flow and Aerospace Vehicle Propulsion.
Engineering like a Cyclone Engineer: Iowa State engineers have two necessary skill sets: The ability to use the engineering knowledge we’ve learned to solve problems and, just as important, the ability to interact well with people. I’ve noticed that Iowa State students are some of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. I feel that Cyclone Engineers change the engineering world with the rare ability to work productively with anyone and everyone.