From not knowing what Purdue was, to finding her home here on campus, choosing Purdue University was the best decision Meena Rajesh could have made. As a senior in Industrial Engineering, the past few years have shown Rajesh the results of Purdue grit.

 

Along with being committed to academic success, Rajesh also served in leadership roles in Purdue Musical Organizations (PMO), and in her sorority, Phi Sigma Rho. “I have been drawn towards roles where I have the capacity to do more,” says Rajesh. This dedication towards doing more quickly took shape when she served as the Diversity and Inclusion Director in her sorority, and later as VP Standards, where she took the lead on crisis management.

 

Her membership in the university choir instilled a desire to give back to the organization as well. When her packed schedule couldn’t afford opportunities to physically participate in service events, Rajesh sought out an alternative: she would post on social media, creating content that built the choir’s brand identity. Her effort translated into earning her on-campus job as the Marketing and Communications Assistant for PMO as a whole. Additionally, she became the face of the Purdue Christmas Show during the promotional season.

 

In serving these positions, Rajesh was able to make an impact on matters she saw as extremely important. Her drive to act quickly, consistently, and efficiently allowed her to manage academic commitments, and still leave time to enjoy life as well. Even just taking the time to grab breakfast with a friend provided Rajesh the weekly reset she needed to continue achieving big things in Industrial Engineering.

Before finding herself at Purdue, Rajesh grew up all around the globe. From Connecticut, to Singapore, to South Korea, to India, travelling has always been a central part of Rajesh’s life. The planes that took her to see her best friends from kindergarten, the planes that brought her to her grandparents every winter, the planes that flew her back to school, all of them were essential in shaping her passion in the aerospace industry.

 

This past summer, Rajesh interned at Pratt and Whitney, where she played a pivotal role in improving the Airbus 320 Neo Engine. There, she worked on the manufacturing line, where she affirmed her interest in Industrial Engineering. As an IE intern, she was not restrained to one particular role. Rajesh had the opportunity to work with the mechanics, engineering, and operations teams, allowing her to see the big picture process they were all working on.

 

“I think that IE is at the intersection of everything. And that's what I really love about the major… As long as you're a person who values efficiency, a business will always need an IE there or someone with an IE mindset,” Rajesh says.

 

Following her internship, she will be working in a co-op with United, where instead of working on the manufacturing line, Rajesh will be focusing on airport logistics and optimizing operations to make things more efficient and customer friendly. After graduation she aims to continue her work in the aerospace industry and pursue a full-time career.

 

Choosing Purdue, where aviation is so central to university history, remains one of the most impactful decisions of Rajesh’s life. Not only has it pushed her to make a difference in her organizations and internships, but it has also altered who she is as a person. She has nurtured her technical skills, strengthened her engineering mindset, and most importantly, gained confidence in herself. By preparing herself to try anything, even at the risk of failure, Rajesh has become a living definition of Purdue grit.