Tell us about your Berkeley IEOR experience. What were some of the best memories you had here?
The Berkeley IEOR department has been a persistent source of warmth and support at all times. With faculty who balance brilliant pedagogy with enthusiasm for student mentorship, to staff who excel at keeping the IEOR community tightknit, embracing environment, the Berkeley IEOR department has afforded me a private school experience at the best public university.

Why did you choose Berkeley IEOR?       

I chose IEOR because I wanted to be able to leverage quantitative analysis to drive innovation in reliability and scale for emerging space technologies. I was attracted to Berkeley’s IEOR department specifically because of its renown for offering both theoretical insight and practical application at an advanced level for undergraduates. The ability to leverage both advanced analysis with learned knowledge of how to apply it has been a centerpiece of my career development.

What was your favorite IEOR class and why?
My favorite class was IEOR 174, Simulation for Enterprise-Scale Systems. The class truly felt like the culmination of several classes in probability and stochastic theory, and gave me an applied experience that really has changed how I interpret and problem-solve real-world situations.

What are your post-graduation plans? How do you see your skills from IEOR being used in the future?
I plan to join SpaceX’s Process Development team as an Associate Engineer, and continue my education as a Master’s student of Industrial Engineering at Columbia University. My IEOR education has afforded me the ability to provide technical approaches and solutions to big-picture problem areas like organizational management and overarching business operations. I know already how invaluable it was to learn this skill so early, and how central it will be for the rest of my career.

What advice do you have for younger IEOR students?
I’d advise younger IEOR students to persistently explore for all 4 years of your undergraduate education! Sometimes 1 year stint in a consulting club or a summer internship in unfamiliar, rural Vermont can fundamentally change your preconceptions of what your career could be, as it did for me!

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