4th-year mechanical engineering student (aerospace engineering certificate, 3.85 GPA) with experience flying, fixing, and designing aircraft and automotive components. 2027 AIAA Design/Build/Fly propulsion lead.
I'm a senior mechanical engineering student at the University of Georgia, concentrating on propulsion and aerospace systems. I currently lead the UGA AIAA Design, Build, Fly propulsion team, am finishing my private pilot certificate, and work hands-on with real engines and airframes as an A&P apprentice.
I'm here for a purpose — and from what I can tell, part of that purpose is to be the best engineer I can. I've loved tinkering, designing, fixing, riding, and flying machines for as long as I could turn a screwdriver — and I'm excited to help build humanity's dreams into reality alongside all of the excellent people in this industry.
Designing, building, and breaking is where I've grown the most in my engineering career. This is where coursework turns into real intuition, and where I've built the skillset to actually call myself an engineer.
Designed, simulated, and manufactured the landing gear for our 2026 AIAA DBF aircraft, sizing its stroke to absorb touchdown loads within the elastic range of 6061 aluminum — flew the entire competition season without a failure.
A CNC-machined replacement coolant elbow after the factory part cracked from decades of thermal cycling and couldn't be TIG welded cleanly — modeled and machined from 6061 aluminum on a mill and lathe across five setups.
Led FSAE's smart steering wheel program for two seasons — nine driver-tested prototypes, an FEA-verified 7075 aluminum structural plate, and a live data display that included paddle shifters for 2026.
Trailered home non-running after sitting from 2005 to 2026, then diagnosed and rebuilt every faulty system — fuel, ignition, carburetors, and 3 separate hydraulic circuits — sourcing rare parts internationally. Now registered and running like it did from the factory.
Pulling and rebuilding all four CV carburetors on the ST1100, then synchronizing the intake manifolds so the V4 idles and pulls evenly across all cylinders.
Understanding a design end-to-end, from first drawings through to how it ultimately feels to operate, is what builds intuition — and intuition, in my view, is a defining characteristic of an effective engineer. I make a point of connecting with the products and machines I work on from their ideation stage all the way to the end-user experience: designing them, flying them, and ultimately fixing them. Below is some information about my private pilot journey, as well as an A&P apprenticeship I've been working on.
I'm training out of Athens Ben Epps Airport toward my Private Pilot certificate — first solo and my night cross-country both complete, and now working through the last requirements toward the checkride.
I'm logging apprenticeship hours under a certified A&P mechanic — the former head of maintenance for the USAF C-17 fleet — on a full avionics and powerplant refresh of a 1968 Mooney M20. The work has run from wiring and routing for an autopilot retrofit to installing structural rivets, machining mounting hardware for panel-mounted avionics, and supporting the engine swap that followed a prop strike.
