Next Adventure: In February, I will begin a full-time rotation as a senior management trainee at XBO Logistics in Chicago. That will allow me to work with different parts of the company, ultimately allowing me to join management. Right now, I'm working with them as a solutions engineer.

Previous co-op, internship, or research experience in this area?
I worked with Prof. Prasad the CMAPSS 40K airplane engine. We are focusing on the high pressure turbine section. If you vary select parameters in the controller, you can extend the life of the engine.

Most looking forward to...
I am very excited about the variety of experiences I will have as a manager trainee at XBO. I will have rotations in very different parts of the company - finances, operations, engineering. And all of them will allow me to apply the critical thinking skills that I've developed as an engineer.

How did your educational experience at GT-AE help?
Georgia Tech is very challenging, and that's why I came here. I had offers at other schools, but I knew that the only way you will improve, intellectually, is if you challenge yourself. And I knew Georgia Tech was the most challenging -- and that aerospace was very hard. I have worked at FedX while I've been at Georgia Tech. Sometimes, I get off the 2 a.m. - 9 a.m. shift and come straight to school, where I must train myself to focus on new material. It has made me stronger. I've learned to be more structured in my approach to problem-solving and to be better at managing my time. Every challenge has made me more marketable.

Advice
The most important thing is: know what you want to accomplish and put yourself in a position to achieve it. That's why I came to Georgia Tech: I wanted to put myself in the position to be successful. My father [Alain P. Nyamsi] has always told me that [life's] not about making excuses; it's about getting things done. Nothing great will be easy. Every time you are challenged, you will improve, so never shy away from challenges. I have found all of this to be true during my time at Georgia Tech.