James Cook (left), will be the first to admit he didn't take full advantage of what MESA offered while he was a mechanical engineering student at San Diego State. Between being a first-generation college student, working while at school and finishing his degree in four years, most of his energy went toward just staying afloat. He wants current students to learn from him.
"The network was the thing I had to rebuild after graduation. The students showing up to MESA events consistently were ahead of me in that regard," said James. "My advice: use MESA and all its support now while it's right in front of you."
James is about one month into his role as an associate ground support equipment engineer at Virgin Galactic at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
He has already put hardware into the pipeline: two controlled drawings and an aluminum shield for the propulsion fluid lines. Parts he drew will end up on a vehicle that flies to the edge of space.
"MESA was a big part of how I got here, so I'm glad to happy to share my story," he said.