What is your next adventure?

I am really excited to begin working at my dream job at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas. I am scheduled to start in April with the Integrated Guidance, Navigation, and Control team. While I am not yet certain of the specific guidance, navigation, and control systems I will be supporting, I am eager to collaborate with this team and contribute to the advancement of human spaceflight throughout my career.

What about your next adventure are you most looking forward to?

I am very much looking forward to having the opportunity to work a consistent nine-to-five schedule every day for an extended period. For the past three and a half years, I have been participating in a co-op program, alternating between my studies at Georgia Tech and my internship with NASA through the Pathways Program. This experience, while rewarding, has presented certain challenges, such as returning to campus to find that many of my friends have graduated or progressed far ahead of me. At times, it felt as though my academic journey was somewhat delayed due to my pursuit of other valuable opportunities. Nevertheless, I am genuinely excited about the prospect of settling in one place and establishing a stable routine for the foreseeable future.

Did you have any previous co-op, internship, or research experience in this area?

I began my journey in the fall of 2022, when I was fortunate enough to join the flight dynamics team in Mission Control at JSC. This was a truly unique experience, as it coincided with the launch of Artemis I—the first in a series of missions that will eventually return humans to the Moon and later to Mars. Although Artemis I was an uncrewed mission, it served as a crucial test of our capabilities, and its success was highly significant. I had the privilege of sitting at the console during the mission, suited up and positioned directly in front of the flight director. While my role was primarily observational, the experience was unforgettable and set a high bar for future opportunities.

Through this experience, I came to realize that my interests lie more in the engineering and design aspects rather than in mission control operations. I was particularly fascinated by the development of the tools and capabilities necessary to achieve our ambitious goals of lunar and Martian exploration. I transitioned to the engineering team, where I initially worked on entry systems, then moved to structures, and eventually returned to the flight mechanics and operations division, which is where I will ultimately be based. My passion for orbital mechanics, coding, and trajectory planning was a major factor in this decision, and receiving an offer from that division was truly exciting.

In terms of research, I was previously involved in the Georgia Tech Vertical Integrated Projects (VIP) program, specifically with the space balloon and research team. This experience was invaluable in enhancing my resume and securing my co-op position. Our team would launch space balloons equipped with payloads, track their journeys to low-Earth orbit, and recover them upon return. 

For those who have not yet participated in an internship, I can attest to the opportunities they provide. It was through conversations with other VIP team members that I was encouraged to apply for my first position with NASA, which ultimately opened the door to the co-op program. In many ways, these experiences are interconnected and have collectively shaped my professional journey.

How did your educational experience at Georgia Tech help you to achieve your goals?

Georgia Tech is very well renowned and has a great reputation. I even underestimated that fact. I learned going into internships in the industry that being a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket comes with a huge advantage. It's like a status upgrade in a way and you get looked at like, ‘oh, you're a Yellow Jacket’. It applies across the country, not just in Georgia. I'm really proud to represent or rather be a part of the AE School, and I think it's always helped me in that way. And of course, the professors and the classes are rigorous and challenging, which allows you to learn and apply yourself in whatever space you are interested in.

What advice would you give to an underclassman who would like to follow the same path?

Apply, apply, apply. The number of times I've been rejected by things is so big. I’ve gotten more rejections than acceptances. I applied for the NASA Co-op Program at least three times before I was accepted. Just because someone says no doesn't mean that you’re unable to apply somewhere else. 

Recently, I was talking to someone who was interested in starting at Tech as an aerospace engineering student. They were asking whether they should even apply for this program. I replied. Why are you asking whether you should apply? And they responded that they weren’t sure if they were ready. And I said, well, let them decide. If you don't put your foot in the door or try to, you'll never know if there is a yes or no. You're confining yourself to a ‘no’ if you don’t try. So, I'm a big believer in shooting your shot, because if you don't take that shot, you definitely won't make it.