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I am a hardworking and ambitious undergraduate student pursuing a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering at Loughborough University. My language skills (fluent in English, French and Italian, with basic knowledge in Russian and Spanish) have helped me adapt throughout my academic and professional endeavors whilst delivering highly technical and reliable results. My multi-national background has helped me cultivate and refine a diversified skills base whilst maturing a comprehensive overview of the work environment. As I work towards a Chartered Engineer accreditation, I aspire to build a fulfilling career in aviation and space whilst bringing my enthusiasm, professionalism and engineering knowledge to the workplace.
The contest represented an opportunity for my teammate and I to conduct research on a range of space topics that we both found very interesting and intellectually stimulating. Having been involved with space endeavors in the past, such as industry internships and conferences, I was captivated by the idea to propose my ideas to experts from the sector who had once been (and still are) involved with spectacular missions from the European Space Agency and beyond. I was also looking forward networking with them to gain an appreciation of the requirements of a possible future career in space, as well as meeting with young individuals with the same passion and enthusiasm for the subject as me!
I enjoyed spending time exploring past work and research done on the matter, which involved space communications, propulsion and design, and human factors too. Our essay choice allowed me to investigate not just a single area of focus, but numerous and each one with its own individual purpose. I also enjoyed being able to approach lecturers and past colleagues of mine to ask for feedback and support in proposing improvements to my work; this was a valuable opportunity that contributed to my time management skills, as well as significantly improving my overall technical knowledge.
Preparation is key. Multiple sources provide a better story. Passion can take you anywhere. These are the three things that I learnt and nurtured throughout my project; preparing in advance would help us progress timely and keep to our timelines, as well as giving us the chance to explore potential alternatives or fixes of our current proposals. I also learnt that information cannot be gathered from a single source as it may be biased for a number of reasons, hence why I always attempted to validate a claim or piece of data by using multiple sources. Finally, as I undertook this project during a challenging year at University, I have learnt that passion really can take you a long way. Working on the Odysseus contest never bored me or had me complaining or stress about my other academic duties, as I was fully involved and enthusiastic about my work and looking to learn more on a daily basis!
As I am already undertaking a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering, my ideas were already quite clear. The Odysseus project further confirmed my interest for a career in the field and passion for the topic, leading me to seek for more industrial internships and opportunities for the future as well as joining aeronautical and aerospace organizations and attend events hosted by experts of the sector. I am excited about my future in the space sector and Odysseus was a great way to start!