First-generation college graduate Miguel Tamayo (College Nine ’23, computer engineering) interned with the Aerospace Corporation throughout his time at UC Santa Cruz. Now, he works with the renowned company full-time.
Tamayo is a flight controls engineer at The Aerospace Corporation and is responsible for maintaining simulation tools including creating new features to test different parameters and variables, and creating tools for launch. He says the most exciting part of his job is when Launch Day rolls around.
“We get to go into our control room, see the cameras on the vehicle, and test all the tools that we've been working on,” Tamayo said. “It’s the best part, but also the most stressful part because if anything goes wrong we’re trying to fix it on the fly as the rocket is launching.”
He credits UCSC programs and classes for supporting him and giving him the necessary tools to pursue his goals.
“A lot of the classes that I took in my junior and senior years at UCSC helped me a lot. They focused on what I wanted to do and taught me things that I actually use in my career.”
Tamayo was a part of the Academic Excellence Program, Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP), and Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP). Through those programs, he received mentorship from counselors that were instrumental in his career pursuits.
Tamayo says he is grateful to MEP which provided him with access to books, lab instruments, printing and computer services, and a community.
“In my five years of school, all my friends were from MEP. We went through all the classes together,” Tamayo said. “MEP helped me a lot in terms of building a community, and made going to school so much easier.”
Hailing from South Central California, Tamayo grew up in a low income neighborhood and attended schools with low resources. He is proud of what he’s accomplished, and encourages others to follow their goals.
“It doesn't matter where you come from, I put a lot of effort into my education and that was what helped me succeed and get to where I am now,” Tamayo said. “It didn't matter my circumstances, I always put everything I could into it because I knew what my goal was.”
He plans on staying at the Aerospace Corporation for the foreseeable future, but hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in a couple of years.
Read more about the Class of 2023 and their lives beyond the UCSC redwoods.
