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I’m an idealist. I was raised on a vision of a better world, and when I look up to the sky at night, I see this vision. I get an overwhelming sense of inspiration, curiosity, and enthrallment. There’s just something about the stars that fascinates me: questions with no answers.

That’s why I’m studying astronautical engineering at USC. My major, in a sense, is to try to find answers to these questions. We like to think about why things work the way they do, how we can solve problems in exploring space, and what we can do to make our current technology better.

Then, through the power of collaboration and passion, we start to encounter questions, but this time, with answers.

We also do other cool stuff, like launching rockets to space (and shattering world records for apogee and speed in the process). Astronautical engineering is the perfect combination of art and math—creativity and logic—and making rockets is a great example. We use both of these equally in our quest for finding answers to big questions.

The community I’ve found within Viterbi and my major has also been something I could never have even dreamed of. I’ve made friends who share the same interests, passions, and straight-up goofiness that I do. I feel as though I can be 100% myself around them, and with them by my side, I feel as though I can get through anything the world throws at me.

It’s these two things—big, deep questions and a bunch of incredibly driven people—that led me to study astronautical engineering at Viterbi. Both of these things are very much present within Viterbi: we like to think about things (a lot), but perhaps more importantly, we like to think about things together. That’s what makes astronautical engineering at Viterbi so special, and leads me to know that I’m in the right place.

 

Header photo credit: USCRPL and Collin Nelson

Zoe Zlatic

Hi! I am a freshman studying Astronautical Engineering and I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. My family is small, consisting of just my two wonderful parents and my 10-pound Yorkie, Truman. I will be graduating with the class of 2028. Outside of the classroom, I'm involved with the Rocket Propulsion Lab, and I love exploring the LA area with my friends. Fight On!