Leah Smith has taken advantage of all the opportunities Embry‑Riddle has to offer.

Networking Opportunities

When opportunity knocks, Leah Smith (‘24) answers, and it’s what she appreciates most about her time at Embry‑Riddle. From career fairs, where the mechanical engineering major has met and interviewed with industry professionals, to internships, where she has gained real-world experience, she has created connections that will help guide her future.

“By attending these events, I’ve been able to build a really nice network and meet and experience people from different parts of industry and [hear] their stories and what inspired them, what they learned and how I [can] learn from them,” she explained.

Job Opportunities

Smith has also taken advantage of the job opportunities offered by student employment including being a resident advisor (RA), giving campus tours to visiting elementary school students and working for ERNIE, which she said have all been great ways to meet people.

“It’s really great working Preview Day and Open House where I get to meet all the new students, and I see how excited they are [and] what brought them here to the school.”

She has learned a lot working on campus and sees each position she has held as a chance to expand multiple aspects of her life.

“Through each job I meet more and more people,” she said, adding that each opportunity she had, “helped me move one step forward learning more about my career or just help my people skills.”

Research Opportunities

Smith has also taken advantage of the research opportunities available to her taking part in a project measuring air quality using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This multi-disciplinary team project enlisted the assistance of a student organization she founded called MOVE UAS (Mobility Virtual Environment) to track and monitor air quality in the local area using both drones and ground sampling stations on campus.

“Each team has a slightly different focus, but it’s all centered around air quality or just preservation of our natural resources,” she said.

The project received funding from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Embry‑Riddle's SGA (Student Government Association) and the Office of Undergraduate Research, and the research group is headed to Washington, DC, later this year to present their findings to the EPA.

“Riddle offers those outlets to provide that funding so that we can keep going.”

Career Opportunities

Smith’s true passion is robotics, even competing in numerous competitions throughout high school. She would like to combine that passion with a career in the space industry.

“I wanted to have the focus of the robotics track that Riddle offers here,” she said. “I get be a part of every step of the design process and the assembly and testing.”

She recently made a trip to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, for the Embry‑Riddle JPL Academic Exchange where she toured various labs and attended seminars.

“Their current work and future projects were such an inspiration,” she said. “They are continuously pushing the limit on space missions and technology. I am so thankful for the COE (College of Engineering) sponsoring our trip out to the JPL where I was able to meet an incredible group of engineers and scientists.”

Smith is grateful for all the opportunities Embry‑Riddle offers and knows it will make a difference when she graduates.

“I have the freedom of what I want to do next and where I want to go.”

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