Incoming student eager to kickstart aerospace education
Ilana Valenzuela begins with course credit, a stellar career plan and an invention she may use to launch a startup.
Ilana Valenzuela aspires to work for NASA on its Artemis missions.
Ilana Valenzuela has eagerly awaited her University of Arizona education. So much so that she took every opportunity to start early, earning college credit in high school and in the Engineering Blast Off program this past summer.
“The problem with me is that I want to learn everything,” said the incoming College of Engineering and W.A. Franke Honors College student. “I genuinely wish there was infinite time to take every class and learn everything about every field of science.”
Valenzuela earned recognition as a National Hispanic Scholar from the College Board prior to her graduation from Catalina Foothills High School and received the university’s Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Scholarship for academic excellence. Even though her interests are varied, she has narrowed her focus to aerospace and mechanical engineering and plans to pursue an accelerated master’s. Close ties to NASA influenced her choosing the U of A.
“It’s my absolute dream job to work at NASA, as an engineer on the Artemis missions,” she said, adding that she would love to do research or help design ships, rovers or systems astronauts use. The Artemis mission plans to put the first woman and person of color on the moon.
Dive deeper into Valenzuela's UA journey.