MIT Rocket Team

I joined the MIT Rocket Team during my freshman year at MIT! There were a variety of different subteams (including Avionics, Propulsion, Payload, etc.) - I was immediately drawn to the Structures team! During my first year on Structures, I learned about things like CAD (computer-aided design), Solidworks, what a composite layup is, how to use power tools, and more! I then became the Treasurer, and was in charge of managing the team’s finances (we’re talking, tens of thousands of dollars!!). This entailed ordering and tracking the status of parts for every subteam, managing each subteam’s budget, processing reimbursements, saving invoices, and more. Once, I accidentally ordered a 6-foot long steel round, instead of a 6-inch one. That was quite something.

If you have a treasurer in your life, show them some appreciation!! It can be a thankless job…

After doing time as Treasurer, I took a year away from the team to mentally recover. Lol. Then, I became the Structures Lead, where I led a ~30-person team of mostly freshmen in designing, building, and testing the airframes (nosecone, fin can) and avionics bay for the Hermes II launch vehicle (that’s a fancy word for rocket!). This was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done - I was also trying to manage 5 classes (at MIT, it’s generally recommended to stick to 4) and my work as an undergraduate researcher, friendships, sleep, and whatever remained of my sanity. At the end of it all, the rocket ended up crashing - and the worst part was, it was a structural failure. I felt like all my work had been for nothing, and that I had let the team down. Looking back, I learned a lot from the experience, and I’m thankful for that, and for all of the members of the Structures team that put their trust in me. <3