Student Profiles

Former MESA student ambassador looks to the future in aerospace engineering.

Written August 2023.

I started my academic journey at Highline College as a first-generation, low-income student. I transferred to the University of Washington-Seattle to study aerospace engineering and will be graduating in June 2022.

I chose aerospace engineering because human space exploration is so cool and inspiring. Also, seeing something you built flying also amazes and excites me every time. Designing, building, and testing rockets, planes, drones, and other flying things are just the coolest thing.

For any student not sure about pursuing STEM or undecided about what they want to do, I would say never let anyone convince you of what program you should join. Figure out which option is the best based on what you have and go for it. You will learn a lot more than you expect regardless of which program you pick as long as you are driven to learn.

There are lots of resources at Highline that can support you on your journey. TRiO student services helped me find and apply for internships. Highline provided a safe environment with amazing and smart people to learn with. I found help from class workshops, MESA, the Math Resource Center, and office hours.

Doing Arduino home projects was the most beneficial activity I did outside of school. Some of the projects that I worked on in the aerospace department at UW involved a lot of Arduino. Having familiarity with the basics gave me an advantage in working on those projects.

My advice to students which I wish I had been given is that if you are doing engineering, keep your GPA above 3.5 as much as you can for at least the first two years so it is easy to find engineering internships for the junior year (most of them require 3.5 or above). Once you have an internship or two in your belt, you will have a solid resume by your senior year and with your senior projects it will be less hard to find jobs after graduation.

Please tell us about your background and path to where you are now.

I attended my first two years of high school at Thomas Jefferson High School where I enjoyed activities such as being a part of the math team. I was then at Highline for two years as part of the running start program and got my Associate of Arts. Now, I am at the University of Washington as an engineering student.

Why did you choose your field? What is the most attractive aspect of the program/field?

What attracted me to engineering was my love of creating things. I love to be able to have a vision in my head and be able to create it and make it a reality. I also have always enjoyed math and love that I can incorporate that into my work through engineering.

What would you say to someone who is still hesitating about joining the program/field to convince them to go for it?

If you think engineering is something you would enjoy, go for it. Don’t let fear alone hold you back. There will always be so many great resources to help you along the way if you ever feel stuck. Also, if you feel like you don’t have the right experience, know that any engineering program is designed to teach you everything you will need to know.

How were you supported at Highline to succeed? Or what barriers did you face and how did Highline help to overcome them?

At Highline, my instructors were always extremely supportive and wanted everyone to succeed. They always made an effort to connect with us as their students and ensure that everyone had opportunities to excel.

What activities do you do outside of your classes that support you in STEM?  OR What was the best experience you had at Highline?

One of the coolest things I did while at Highline was the AMATYC math contest. It’s a quick 1-hour math contest with no commitments or prior experience necessary. The questions are unique and will require you to think outside of the box. It’s a great experience overall and I encourage everyone to try it.

What advice/info do you have for Highline students that you wish you would have been given when you were a student?

Make an effort to enjoy your time as much as possible. Prioritize your classes and learning, but also have fun. Talk to the other people in your classes and make friends. Go out to lunch with them at Dick’s and support each other with the class. The more connections you can make and enjoyable memories you can have, the more you will be able to get out of your time at Highline.