What is your next adventure?

Starting in January, I’ll be joining Hermeus full-time as a test and operations engineer, working on some exciting aircraft projects.

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

I love working at Hermeus. I like the people who I've met working here. I've been working with my team now for six months, so continuing is nice. I get a lot of ownership over a lot of projects that I'm also really, really excited about. So, I'd say ownership and probably just the people working here. I'll also get to travel for deployed testing, travel with the aircraft, take part in flight tests and I’m looking forward to it.

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

I came to Georgia Tech as a transfer student from Kennesaw State after my first-year year. Then, sophomore year I did a short, one semester stint with Professor Marilyn Smith's Nonlinear Computational Aeroelasticity Lab. Then I worked in the Aerospace Systems Design Lab (ASDL) for two years, under Doctor Jimmy Tai and his group for a year and a half. Then my last semester I worked under Professor Joe Oefelein.

On the internship side, last summer I interned at Kratos. I was an aerodynamic analysis engineering intern and worked on Boom Supersonics engine aerodynamic stuff. So that was fun. Then I came to Hermeus last fall on the flight test team and was able to work on the Mark One ground test campaign. I was deeply involved in that through last fall, then came back to Hermeus this summer after going back to school this past spring. When I came back this summer, I realized that I only needed one class to graduate. So, I asked the folks at Hermeus to host me another semester while I graduate, and to bring me on full-time. They said yes. I got extended 

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

The research opportunities definitely helped. My connections through ASDL definitely paid off. I also co-founded the Georgia Tech Supersonics Club (GTSC), with a couple of other people. The availability of the School of Aerospace and College of Engineering and Student Government was crucial. They all helped us get GTSC off the ground and grow from five initial founders in March of 2023 when the idea was formulated in my head, to over 200 students now.

I’m confident about the club’s future—something I couldn’t have said a year ago. Most of the cofounders have already graduated, and after I graduate in December, only one will remain. Still, we’re certain the next leadership group will guide the club successfully over the next two to three years. The timing worked out perfectly: when we founded the club, I was a second-semester sophomore. Now, two to three years later, the first-years who joined when we were just starting out are stepping up as leaders.

Georgia Tech, in particular, offers exceptional support for student organizations. Our teams receive significantly more funding than most schools nationwide, which is a huge advantage and something not to take for granted.

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

Don't be afraid to jump into the deep end. If you don't know something, but you would like to, don't just sit there and wait until somebody tells you how to do it. 

It's okay to fail. Failure is a good thing. You're not going to learn unless you fail. 

Hindsight is always 20/20. If I were to go back two years ago, I would go about starting GTSC completely differently. Now, I know what to do and not to do. Don't be afraid to jump headfirst into something. Challenge is good. If it was easy, everybody would do it. It's my mantra. 

Regardless of which area of aerospace you’re interested in, the student teams on campus are incredible. They provide hands-on experience that’s highly relevant to hardware engineering across industries. Teams like the Yellow Jacket Space Program, Design, Build, Fly, and the Ramblin’ Rocket Club are well-established and know their stuff. GTSC is still growing, and while we’ve had our share of growing pains, we’re making progress.

These engineering teams operate like companies—just with far smaller budgets. The challenge on teams makes you a better engineer because you learn to design solutions that would normally require a $1,000,000 budget with only a few thousand dollars. It’s an invaluable experience. Leading one of these organizations pushes you to grow as an engineer and as a leader.