I grew up around tools, concrete dust, and jobsite radios. My dad is a builder, so construction and engineering weren’t weekend hobbies—they were the backdrop of my childhood. We built our home when I was a kid; I learned how to read a tape, set a level, and respect equipment long before I could drive it. Running machinery under watchful eyes taught me two things early: safety is non-negotiable, and good work is the sum of small, careful steps.

At 14, I started working, first tossing hay bales in the heat, where you learn rhythm, pace, and not to quit just because the work is heavy. I later moved into the family construction company, helping with underground utilities. Trenching, bedding pipe, dialing in slopes, backfilling, compacting, and leak-checking lines made tolerances real for me. You can’t “kind of” hit grade or “mostly” seal a joint; the ground will tell on you. That mindset plan, execute, verify became my default.

Meanwhile, I was hooked on rocketry. The same things I loved about construction—machines with purpose, systems that only work when every piece does show up in propulsion. That interest pushed me to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where I’m now a sophomore in Aerospace Engineering, focused on liquid rocket engines.

Today I split my time between research, design, and testing. I’m the engine lead for Saguaro, a composite-overwrapped ablative liquid engine. I work the details: injector geometry, interface control, seals and fasteners, film cooling design, and drawing packages with GD&T. I use analysis to inform decisions (ANSYS, MATLAB/Python) and then let the stand be the judge. I also contribute to MOE and DRACO feed systems valving, mounting, leak checks, and bring-up, and I run independent injector test campaigns as a personal project to explore coaxial-shear swirl concepts and spray behavior. The loop is constant: design → build → fire → measure → improve.

My work ethic comes straight from those early years. I value clean setups, tight interfaces, and checklists that get used, not framed. I’m comfortable doing the unglamorous work—torque specs, fittings, inventories, and data cleanup because that’s what makes engines light clean and run steady. When something fails, I don’t dramatize it; I fix the root cause and capture the lesson.

Outside the lab, I like being outside my comfort zone: scuba diving, mountain biking, and snowboarding. Diving reinforces planning and situational awareness; biking and snowboarding keep me honest about balance, line choice, and reading changing conditions. All three are great reminders that judgment matters as much as skill.

Big picture, I’m here to build reliable propulsion—hardware that starts, stays stable, and teaches us something every test.