Currently pursuing my Ph.D. in Engineering Education at Virginia Tech (VT) after working in the aerospace industry for 4+ years with Airbus Americas Engineering. I have experience in project management and process improvement and automation as an engineer in airworthiness & certification and retrofit of aircraft cabins in Upgrade Services. My background includes a B.S. and M.S degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in control systems and aerospace from the University of South Alabama, in my hometown where I was raised on the Gulf Coast. I'm a first-generation college student and daughter of German immigrants.I aspire to use my connections from industry to bridge the gap between engineering education and industry needs, while helping students in their own personal development to become creative problem-solvers, effective communicators, and well-rounded, global engineers. Currently I am the Graduate Teaching Assistant/Assistant Director for our Interdisciplinary Capstone course (IDC@VT) course with our senior-level engineering students. I have teaching and mentoring experience from elementary to graduate-level students. This has included introductory robotics using Lego Mindstorms with elementary students, flight dynamics and mentoring for middle-schoolers, and graduate teaching assistantships with foundations of engineering for first-year students, Global STEM Practice: Leadership and Culture with the Rising Sophomore Abroad Program (RSAP), Contemporary Pedagogy with graduate-level students and thermal science with senior-level mechanical engineering students. My research interests include team dynamics, professional skills development (such as conflict management), academia-industry alignment, global engineering, cultural awareness, and art & creativity in engineering (but my research interests continue to evolve and expand).