1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.

The Ohio Air Mobility Symposium is a two day conference style event that takes place in the spring semester, bringing together academia, industry, and policy makers to discuss Advanced Air Mobility. As part of my role as the Director of the Symposium, planning for the event began in the summer of 2024. This included creation of an event schedule, selection of a venue, meetings with stakeholders, and creation of a budget for the event.

2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?

Through my experience in my STEP Signature Project, I was able to see firsthand just how much of an impact networking and networking events can have on the development of a career. Going through college, common advice is to network as much as possible and take advantage of the difference events offered. However, that means very little to a student like me who is extremely busy with class and paying for school. After my experience, though, I can certainly say that my priorities have changed. I now see that networking is a gateway, that if leveraged properly, can get you into places you would never have thought possible.

3. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?

The lesson in #2 was learned through a few different avenues. These include advisory meetings, meetings with Directors of different centers of research at OSU, and meetings with industry stakeholders, most notably JobsOhio.

Advisory meetings were held biweekly throughout the summer with my project consultant, Ethan Rivera from the Battelle Center in the John Glenn College of Publics Affairs. My minor, Science and Engineering in the Public Interest is held through the college, so I already had some familiarity with the Center. However, constantly throughout the summer, Ethan helped me to identify different people to reach out to, as well as what to discuss at those meetings. As a rule, I recognize that I do not have the answers to every problem I face in my professional life, so being able to consult someone else on how to approach those more knowledgeable than myself was extremely helpful and educational.

As for the meetings with Directors of Centers of Research, they are considered as stakeholders in the event, and while they serve an advisory role, are not considered an advisor in the student information system at OSU. The main two centers I met with were Center of Automotive Research (CAR) and Center of Aviation Studies (CAS). While the project is over, the event itself is still being planned, so I am seeking to meet with the Aerospace Research Center as well. Both CAR and CAS helped me to consider things I otherwise would not have when planning the event, aided with questions prepared with Ethan. Again, the value of networking and meeting with others was proven to me again.

Finally, meetings with industry stakeholders were particularly enlightening as it relates to networking. In the history of the Symposium, it has often been that our best speakers were gotten through the utilization of connections. These meetings were similar, as I was able to gain insights into how to have a better event and how industry folk think. Moreover, I was able to make the connections with industry for my own benefit, as now I can have a network of people in different industry positions to leverage in the future.

4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?

As noted in #3, the most valuable contribution of the project was the formation of a network beyond the college setting. Obviously, all my peers and professors are connections I can leverage in the future. However, through my signature project, I was afforded the opportunity to spend an entire summer focusing on expanding my network, both for the benefit of the project itself and for my future career. Beyond that, I can use these connections to help others in my life as well, something that is on my mind as I seek to use my role to create more a of a community around Advanced Air Mobility.

Here is a picture of me after a meeting at the Battelle Center (quite a few of the other meetings were virtual and that would not make for a good picture). Enjoy.