Lisha Maganti is headed off to the University of Colorado Boulder in the fall to study aerospace engineering. Although the Marquette High School graduate always knew she wanted to study engineering, she credits Wings of Hope with steering her toward aerospace.
“Before working with Wings of Hope, I wanted to go into engineering because I did robotics in middle school and freshman and sophomore year of high school,” she said. Maganti was a student in Wings of Hope’s SOAR into STEM program in 2022, followed by a summer internship at Wings of Hope and two sessions as a SOAR into STEM mentor. She said working with Wings of Hope’s mechanics, many of whom are retired engineers or pilots, opened her eyes to the possibility of pursuing aerospace engineering.
“So I started looking at aerospace engineering jobs, and last summer I worked as an aerospace research intern at Saint Louis University. That’s where I started wanting to do aerospace engineering,” said Maganti.
Looking back on her time as a SOAR into STEM student, Maganti said the discovery flight is an experience she’ll never forget.
“That was just really cool; I wrote my college essay about the first time I flew.”
Beyond studying aerospace engineering, Maganti also plans to pursue an MBA.
“I’m hoping to combine business and aerospace engineering,” she said. “I know that a lot of people want to work at NASA or Boeing. I feel like there are a lot of new tech startups that I’d want to be involved in.”
No matter where Maganti’s interest in aerospace engineering leads, it began in the Wings of Hope hangar.
“I don’t think I would have realized I wanted to do aerospace unless I did the internship and the SOAR into STEM program at Wings of Hope,” she said.
Caption: Lisha Maganti (right) and fellow SOAR into STEM student.