What I Do I currently work as a Systems Engineer, on the platform team for the avionics (aviation electronics) on a military helicopter. As a platform systems engineer, I work to ensure the program requirements are met and ensure everything works well together (as a system!) via testing.
Why Engineering? I've always enjoyed solving problems, either on paper or hands-on. Space and aviation technology have always been super cool to me, so I wanted to be part of the industry and help develop new aircraft.
School Days I went to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering with a focus in Astronautics and minors in Applied and Computational Mathematics.
Challenges Middle and high school were easy for me - I rarely got less than 100% on something. Going to college for engineering was quite the change, as I had to realize that it's okay to get a bad grade, or even to fail a class! The first time I got a B hurt, but when I failed an entire class, I thought that was the worst thing that could possibly happen. It hurt a lot, but I retook the class and learned better study habits going forward. Learning to fail and get back up made me a stronger person and engineer.
Hobbies Outside of work, I like to try new recipes, read, get outdoors, and have game nights with friends.
Additional Thoughts I grew up in central Minnesota and moved to Florida for school, which was quite a change! Although Florida was very fun, I realized I missed having seasons and moved back to the midwest post-college. I think it's very important for everyone to get out of their comfort zone and see more of the world in order to become a more well-rounded individual. Whether for college or not, I highly recommend going somewhere new, at least for a short while!