Connections Magazine

Why did you decide to attend SUNY Niagara?

“While I was in high school, I didn’t take my education seriously. Every four-year college I applied to, I was rejected from. My sister was attending SUNY Niagara at the time taking four classes per semester and she recommended that I try to do the same. I’m so thankful that I listened to my sister and attended SUNY Niagara! I spent my first year working with the professors to become a better student and earned straight A’s. SUNY Niagara taught me a different way to apply myself inside and out of the classroom.”

Tell me about your path after graduating from SUNY Niagara?

“During my second year at SUNY Niagara, I was afforded the opportunity to take classes at both SUNY Niagara and UB. After graduating with my Associates Degree, I transferred on to Cornell University to continue my education in engineering. However, because their Mechanical Engineering Program is in such high demand, I was originally placed in their Civil Engineering Program instead. I knew that this wasn’t the right program for me and again began to struggle in my classes. Thanks to the support that I received during my time at SUNY Niagara, I knew that my best path to success would be to speak with my advisor. He helped me get into the proper mechanical engineering courses even before I was accepted into the program. Out of all of the colleges that I have attended, SUNY Niagara is still my favorite and has been the most beneficial to me.”

In laymen’s terms, explain to me your current position at SpaceX?

“Before I started working at SpaceX, I was an Engineer at DuPont. While I was there, I received a phone call from a friend from college. He told me that he was working at SpaceX with the man who invented PayPal – Elon Musk. My friend kept telling me that I needed to come work for the company, but at the time I wasn’t interested. One night while I was home watching the news, a story came on about Elon Musk and his company SpaceX. They explained that SpaceX was going to become an aerospace manufacturer and space transport service company. After watching the story and learning more about what Elon was trying to accomplish, I knew that I could contribute to his team.

After a little over a year of applying and interviewing with SpaceX, I was hired! I am now currently a Manufacturing Engineer. Recently I was in charge of manufacturing the body of the reusable Falcon 9 rocket. This is the world’s first re-flight of an orbital class rocket. What that means, is while most rockets are designed to burn up on reentry, Falcon 9 can not only withstand reentry, but can also successfully land back on Earth and re-fly again. When I look back on my education and how I started versus where I am today, I can’t stress enough how important attending SUNY Niagara was for me. Your career and your life can take you in directions that you never imagined possible. My degree from SUNY Niagara is what helped me prepare for any opportunity.”