What have you been up to since you graduated from SLCS?

After graduating from South Lyon East in 2012, I attended the University of Michigan and received my bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering with a dream of ultimately working for NASA. My first job after college was as a systems engineer at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, AZ. While at Raytheon, I worked on a missile system testbed supporting verification and validation testing of missile flight software, learning anything and everything I could to become a better candidate for NASA.

In 2017, one year after I graduated, I joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and moved to Pasadena, CA. During my time there, I supported operations of three Mars rover missions (Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance). I gained experience in robotics, software development and team leadership. I was fortunate enough to lead the Perseverance rover team through various high-priority activities, such as landing night on Mars, first drive, helicopter deployment, and multiple solar conjunctions.

In 2019 I married my wife Renae, and in 2022 we were expecting our first child. With our son in mind we decided to make the move back to South Lyon to be closer to family and friends, and I continued my work on the Perseverance rover in a fully remote capacity. We welcomed our son in January of 2023, and our daughter in April of 2025.

This past October I made the decision to leave JPL, and have taken a job with Capella Space as the manager of the satellite operations team. I am now leading a team of satellite operators, focused on the maintenance and operation of Capella’s constellation of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. I am excited for the opportunities ahead and extremely grateful for the knowledge and experience I’ve gained so far.


How did your experience at SLCS prepare you for life after school?

I had a number of excellent teachers at SLEHS who placed a focus on developing critical thinking skills rather than rote memorization. Being taught how to think for myself, ask good questions and constantly pursue knowledge inside and outside of the classroom prepared me for my career ahead. Additionally, SLCS technology classes were extremely helpful in laying a foundation for my education at the University of Michigan and my career in engineering.


What advice would you give students who are graduating in 2026?

The most important advice I can give to students graduating and going out into the world is to pray, in good times and in bad. I have been blessed beyond measure in my life, not because of anything I have done but because of the grace of God. Don't fear failure – never let fear stop you from trying something new or pursuing your aspirations. I always dreamed of working on the Mars rover missions, but was rejected by JPL many times before finally being given an opportunity. Make yourself one percent better every day.