Journey to Aerospace
This page shares the story behind my passion for engineering—how growing up in an Air Force family, attending Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, and a lifelong love of designing and creating shaped my path toward aerospace engineering.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been curious about how things work and how they’re made. As a child, creativity wasn’t just a hobby, it was how I saw the world. I’d spend hours crafting and designing, often turning everyday items into miniature worlds. One of my earliest “engineering” projects was building a small town entirely out of cereal boxes, even rolling up strips of paper to make speed bumps for its streets. Another memory that sticks with my family is me meticulously sorting rubber ducks in the bathtub by size and color. I didn’t have the words for it then, but I had a natural love for problem-solving, organization, and design.
Back then, I thought I might go into graphic design someday. I loved making things look intentional and well thought out. But everything changed after I attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, the summer between middle school and high school.
Space Camp was a turning point for me. I was in awe the moment I walked into the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, standing beneath towering rockets and spacecraft, surrounded by the history of exploration and innovation. During camp, we completed team-building challenges, learned to work as a mission crew, and even ran full simulated space missions, rotating between mission control, the space shuttle, and the International Space Station. We met former astronauts, heard their stories, and were encouraged to dream big. That experience solidified something I’d been feeling for years: I wanted to solve real problems, design real systems, and contribute to aerospace.
My Air Force family background also played a big role in shaping my love for aviation. My dad served in the Air Force, and several members of my extended family did as well. Growing up, I spent weekends at air shows and base family days, watching C-17 cargo planes take off and land. Aviation wasn’t an abstract concept; it was woven into my family’s story, and those experiences gave me a deep appreciation for engineering and flight.
Once I started high school, I fully embraced math and science. I wasn’t just interested in doing well, I wanted to learn as much as possible. I signed up for college-level courses, not for the credit, but because I wanted the challenge. I joined robotics and science club, became a member of Mu Alpha Theta (math club), and spent my time building skills that would help me turn my curiosity into something tangible. By the end of freshman year, I knew engineering was my path.
When it came time to choose a college, the decision was surprisingly simple. I toured the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and immediately felt at home. It was the only school I applied to because I was confident it was the right fit. Starting my aerospace engineering degree was exciting but also intimidating; I won’t pretend there weren’t moments of doubt about whether I’d chosen the right path. But then there were classes, like Airplane Performance, that lit a spark in me and confirmed I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
My time at UTK gave me opportunities to grow, challenge myself, and gain real-world engineering experience through internships and hands-on projects. But in some ways, it also reconnected me to my creative side. While high school and early college had been so focused on academics, I eventually found that creativity and engineering don’t just coexist, they strengthen each other. Crocheting, sewing, and building my small business “Loop de Lehmen” reminded me that design is both a technical skill and an art form. That creative energy carries over into how I approach engineering problems today.
Looking back, I see how all the pieces fit together: the cereal-box towns, the air shows, Space Camp, the math club competitions, and now my engineering projects. Each step has been part of a larger story, one of curiosity, creativity, and persistence. Aerospace engineering was never just a degree choice; it’s been the natural next step in a lifelong journey of exploration and design. And this journey is far from over.
