AOE Ambassadors
Who are the AOE Ambassadors?
The AOE Ambassadors are ethusiastic and motivated students who enjoy talking to prospective students about opportunities in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace & Ocean Engineering. AOE Ambassadors assist the department with recruitment events for prospective undergraduate students. Some activities that AOE Ambassadors are involved with include:
- Engineering showcases for the Fall & Spring Admissions Open House events
- The Spring College of Engineering Open House showcase
- Presenting information sessions about the AOE Department for prospective students and their families
- The Fall COE Welcome Event for incoming first-year and transfer students
- Presentations, panels, major exploration events and more for current students
Visiting the AOE Undergraduate Program
During the fall and spring semesters, AOE Information Sessions will be presented in-person by student AOE Ambassadors on most Mondays & Fridays from 2:30-3:30 PM. Please contact Emily Metzgar if you have questions about visiting during the summer or require additional information.
To register for an AOE Information Session, first click here to see what dates are available to register for events. Click on a specific date to see if an AOE Information Session is being offered. If available, fill out the registration form to sign up.
Meet the AOE Ambassadors!
Carly Krokosz (Co-Lead)
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Wall Township, New Jersey
Professional/Student Organizations: Orbital Launch Vehicle Team at Virginia Tech, Marching Virginians
Internships: Safran Aerosystems
Research: Hydroelasticity Lab
Favorite thing about VT: Blacksburg, and hearing the Burruss bells on the Drillfield.
Advice: Never be afraid to ask for help!
Isabella Kuminka (Co-Lead)
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Mickleton, New Jersey
Professional/Student Organizations: Chi Omega (FSL)
Internships: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Study Abroad: Spring/Summer 2024 in Hamburg, Germany
Favorite thing about VT: The Hokie community
Advice: This is demanding yet rewarding major. If you have the passion, don't let a few hard classes steer you away from your dream.
Aleem Ahmed
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Professional/Student Organizations: Rocketry at Virginia Tech
Internships: Northrop Grumman Space Systems
Favorite thing about VT: Gorgeous landscapes paired with dreamy sunrises and sunsets.
Advice: Upon arriving at a crossroads, say yes! New opportunities, new friends, new experiences, and new memories await you on the other side.
Lance Ayers
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2026
Hometown: Franklin County, Virginia
Minor: Business
Professional/Student Organizations: RockSat-X
Internships/Co-ops: NASA Langley Research Center, currently doing a Fall 2024 co-op with Peraton / NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract (NSROC IV)
Favorite thing about VT: The many opportunities to gain practical experience through design teams, research, and internships.
Advice: Invest time in defining your goals early on and use them as a driving force to propel yourself forward in the exciting and sometimes challenging journey of aerospace engineering.
Jaden Bailey
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Alexandria, Virginia
Internships: DoD - Defense Threat Reduction Agency, DoD - Naval Surface Warfare Center
Favorite thing about VT: My favorite thing about Virginia Tech is the people I have met and the friends I have made!
Advice: Make sure to stay on top of your assignments and to utilize the resources given to you by your teachers like office hours.
Fun Fact: I am currently a SMART Scholarship recipient.
Trevor Bradshaw
Major: Ocean Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Minors: Nuclear Engineering, Naval Engineering
Professional/Student Organizations: Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME)/American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE), American Nuclear Society (ANS)
Internships: Fincantieri, NSWC Carderock
Favorite thing about VT: The tight-knit community feel, even at such a big school I see people I know everywhere I go.
Research: Nuclear Materials and Fuel Cycles Laboratory
Maggie Campbell
Major: Ocean Engineering, Class of 2026
Hometown: Norfolk, Virginia
Minors: Naval Engineering, Nuclear Engineering
Professional/Student Organizations: SNAME/ASNE at Virginia Tech, American Nuclear Society (ANS), Human Powered Submarine Design Team, Outdoors Club
Internships: NAVSEA Combatant Crafts Division of Carderock through the Naval Research Enterprises Internship Program
Favorite thing about major: I get to study ships and watercraft and learn how they work all day. I've been fascinated by ships for as long as I can remember and I've always loved to be on the water.
Fun Fact: I'm open-water SCUBA certified and was the pilot for my design team's latest submarine, Kraken. I piloted it across the finish line to a third place finish in our class at our competition over the summer.
Victoria Carpe
Majors: Ocean Engineering & Music Performance, Class of 2026
Hometown: Bear, Delaware
Minors: Naval Engineering
Professional/Student Organizations: SWE, SNAME & ASNE, SAME, Tau Beta Pi, Global Engineering Ambassador
Internships: Newport News Shipbuilding
Study Abroad: Rising Sophomore Abroad Program in Australia/New Zealand; Spring Semester 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland
Fun Fact: I’ve been a sailor for over 11 years.
Patrick Corrigan
Graduate Degree: MS in Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2024
Hometown: McLean, Virginia
Internships: Flight Dynamics Intern at NASA Langley Research Center, Trajectory Software Engineering Intern at CACI
Research: Nonlinear Systems Laboratory
Advice: Talk to professors early on to find your interests and niche in aerospace.
Jacob Davis
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Christiansburg, Virginia
Professional/Student Organizations: Orbital Launch Vehicle Team, Marching Virginians, Hokies Pep Band
Internships: Pathways Intern at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Favorite thing about major: I love solving complex problems, studying the most interesting physical phenomena in nature, and using that to design some of the most impressive vehicles we have ever made to fly, explore, and learn about the universe.
Fun Fact: I play clarinet in the marching band and guitar in the basketball pep band!
Anushka Devarajan
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Anaheim, California
Minors: Green Engineering, Mathematics
Professional/Student Organizations: Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED), Wind Turbine Team
Internships: Collins Aerospace, Boeing
Advice: Don't be afraid of being wrong or asking too many questions. Chances are other people are wondering the same thing, so just speak up and make sure to ask for help if you need it! Professors don't bite, they are there to help you.
Fun Fact: I have lived in 4 other states in the US and have travelled to over 15+ different countries!
Joel George
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2026
Hometown: Folsom, California
Professional/Student Organizations: Orbital Launch Vehicle Team
Internships: Boeing - Systems Engineering
Favorite thing about major: Aerospace deals with some of the most complex engineering challenges out there, like making rockets and planes fly. Getting to learn the science and engineering that goes into these products is super interesting! Now, when I get in a plane, my brain is thinking about all the concepts I've learned in class.
Advice: Reach out and make friends as much as you can! Forming a good study group with students in your major can make or break you since classes get really tough and it's always helpful to have a group of people who know what you're facing, who can help you overcome those challenges together.
Carl Hayden
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Amherst, Virginia
Minor: Cinema
Professional/Student Organizations: Galipatia
Internships: Virginia Tech National Security Institute
Favorite thing about major: The challenge and wonderful people I've gotten to work with along the way!
Advice: Perseverance and being able to pick yourself up after a stumble is what makes one successful. College is hard, but it is not impossible.
Fun Fact: I have pet chickens!
Landon Hendrickson
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Springfield, Missouri
Professional/Student Organizations: Orbital Launch Vehicle Team
Internships: Ozark Aeroworks (T53 Turbine Engines); Lockheed Martin (PrSM Missile Program)
Favorite thing about VT: The beautiful campus!
Favorite thing about major: The tight-knit community!
Fun Fact: I love to run and play piano in my free time!
Brittany Hoffman
Majors: Aerospace Engineering & Spanish, Class of 2026
Hometown: Fort Collins, Colorado
Minor: Naval Engineering
Professional/Student Organizations: Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) Scholar, Alpha Omega Epsilon, Marching Virginians, Dean's Team, Society of Women Engineers (SWE), Society of Women in Aviation and Space Exploration (SWASE), Society of Flight Test Engineers (SFTE)
Internships: Federal Aviation Administration
Favorite thing about VT: I love the community and being able to be involved in many different organizations on campus!
Advice: Don't be afraid to ask for help from professors - it's great to make connections with faculty and they want you to succeed!
MaKenzie Kidd
Graduate Degree: MS in Ocean Engineering, Class of 2025
Major: Ocean Engineering, Class of 2024
Hometown: Abingdon, Virginia
Internships: Royal Caribbean Group, General Dynamics Mission Systems, The Lane Group Inc.
Research: Dynamic Architecture Flow Optimization for Naval Surface Ships
Advice: Get involved in clubs, projects, activities as soon as possible!
Nathan Shune
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Sterling, VA
Minor: Mathematics
Professional/Student Organizations: AIAA; Design, Build, Fly @ Virginia Tech
Internships: Boeing - Design & Stress Analysis Engineering - 787 Propulsion
Research: Unmanned Systems Lab - Flight Operations Manager/Chief Pilot
Favorite thing about major: I get to apply my studies of the coolest vehicles on the world on a daily basis.
Andrew Tabor
Major: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2026
Hometown: Lynchburg, Virginia
Minors: Computer Science, Math
Professional/Student Organizations: Orbital Launch Vehicle Team
Internships: Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division
Favorite thing about major: The community of AOE students willing to help each other learn.
Advice: Be sure to make friends early on, and don't wait to pursue research/design team opportunities.
Abrianna Valentin Ferrer
Majors: Aerospace Engineering, Class of 2025
Hometown: Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Professional/Student Organizations: RockSat-X, CEED
Internships: Honda Aircraft Company
Research: Hydroelasticity Lab
Favorite thing about VT: The people
Fun Fact: Some rockets use yo-yos to stabilize!
Eli Willett
Major: Ocean Engineering, Class of 2026
Hometown: Burnt Hills, New York
Minor: Naval Engineering
Professional/Student Organizations: Human Powered Submarine, Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
Internships: Newport News Shipbuilding, Alaska Center for Energy and Power
Favorite thing about major: There's a huge range of projects to work on within the world of ocean engineering. It is a niche major with a very broad coverage.
Advice: Join organizations both inside and outside of your major. Don't be afraid to apply for internships that takes you far from home or outside of your comfort zone.
Kevin Xu
Majors: Aerospace Engineering & Mathematics, Class of 2026
Hometown: Blacksburg, Virginia
Minor: Chemistry
Professional/Student Organizations: NASA Student Launch at Virginia Tech (SLVT), Archimedes Society, Team ASTRA
Internships: Peraton Inc.
Research: Advanced Propulsion and Power Laboratory, Stability Wind Tunnel
Advice: Don't wait until the last minute! Start everything early!
Fun Fact: I have built a spacesuit cooling system that was tested in NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.