I developed the skills needed to confidently apply for the structures internship at Blue Origin because I am a helper.  Right here at KSC, about twelve years ago, I heard the news that the Shuttle program was coming to a close. However, the kind tour guide also told this ten-year-old that the first people on Mars had already been born. I exclaimed, "I don't wanna go, I hate heights!" My mother chucked and added, "If you can't go, you can help them go!" Since then, my friends and family have seen me set my path to be the best helper I can be, especially through mechanical design and testing.

Through high school and university, I've positioned myself in leadership and individually contributing roles where I can help the most. Progressing through a small robotics team, machine shop, formula student team, manufacturing plant, robotic tooling company, and national lab, I have learned the process of creating technical drawings, fabricating, assembling, and verifying quality. Throughout history, we’ve seen the tools that help us determine where we go. When the people behind Blue Origin create tools of all kinds for space, I know that I must help them, because that’s where we’re going.

My internships at ATI Industrial Automation allowed me to collaborate with a community that is making a significant impact on the Earth (and Mars) through robotics. In the design verification laboratory and the robotic applications development group, I created actionable testing plans for new products, conducted experiments, conducted analysis, and presented results. I am proud to have contributed to the safety of pre-production sample evaluation through the design and fabrication of a material handling fixture.

At Sandia National Labs, I am using these methods to evaluate single sensors through to full systems in a physical security context. Designing hardware for long-duration and high-cycle-rate robotic testing of human interface devices has been a significant and rewarding challenge. The individuals of Sandia have succeeded in their field because their breadth of engineering and interpersonal insight creates greatness. I am now starting to see my breadth of experience bearing fruits personally and in design projects.

The most recent of these fruits is my website and design showcase www.iterable.design. I built this site to more easily display my engineering progression in today’s online world, and because it was hard to do. I learned how to shrink my ideas into a meaningful presentation with real consequences if I fail. Many of my projects use data analysis, Python, SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, MATLAB, and other digital designing tools which help me share passionately. The most fulfilling projects have been those that bring others joy.

As a graduate researcher in the Nonlinear Control and Robotics group, honors undergraduate with a thesis on robotic sensing and kinematics, project engineer of a robotic 3D printer student group, and with instructional roles in Aeronautic Design and Mechanical Design capstone courses, I have developed a passion for academic, rigorous, and technical communication of the design process.

I have had a habit of climbing to the top of the University of Florida’s campus to see any launch that I can, even making a small camera cantilever to hang off the building for a better view! Broadening my academic experience there by pursuing a master's in mechanical engineering has been a rewarding experience. I am open to consideration for positions in the spring or summer of 2025.

I appreciate your consideration,