My love of aircraft is what led me to pursue my undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering at Purdue. During those four years, I was lucky enough to complete an internship every summer in industry, getting hands on experience designing and working on the aircraft that I cherish so dearly. However, in doing so, I also learned that working in industry is not purely based off having technical expertise. Do not get me wrong: that is a vital key to success. It is, however, not the entire skillset necessary to prosper. It became evident early-on that one must have knowledge of how businesses function on a daily basis, how they cater to the needs of their customers and suppliers, and how to produce a product that pleases all necessary stakeholders.

I knew that I wanted to continue on to achieve a master’s degree following graduation and before returning to industry full-time. With the knowledge I gained during my undergraduate internships, I jumped on the opportunity to apply to Purdue’s MEM program due to the combination of engineering and management classes that I could take. Not only have these classes helped me hone my skills in the field of air-breathing propulsion, a field of aerospace engineering that Purdue is renowned world-wide for having one of the best programs in, it has also helped me fill the gap in knowledge that I had with regard to business management in the similarly world-class Krannert School of Management.

The combination of the material covered in the propulsion classes and management classes is directly applicable to the highly technical work that I am currently completing for Lockheed Martin as a remote part-time employee while also completing my master’s degree. I feel that I now understand the role that the modern-day engineer plays in a large company, having to act as not just the technical expert but also the face of the company to the many suppliers and customers that their product revolves around. Thanks to the Purdue MEM program, I can confidently say that I am prepared with the skillset necessary to make a difference in the aerospace industry, and I could not be more excited to begin my role as a full-time propulsion engineer with Lockheed Martin upon graduation in just a few short months.