AeroOne invited Stevenson Manufacturing, Automation and Design Engineering (MADE) to be a part of two panels – one with students on the panel and one with educators. The event hosted by the Aerospace Industry Association of Michigan invited Stevenson MADE to participate in an effort to help connect academia and the aerospace industry.  

“I didn’t know half of the companies in attendance existed – they don’t know about us and we don’t know about them – and that’s what they were trying to improve was the connection between us both,” said Stevenson MADE senior, Allie Szalkiewicz.

Stevenson MADE academy coach, Mark LaCombe, explained the AeroOne event showcases how most of the suppliers around the Metro Detroit area are involved with automotive or aerospace, or both.

“We are involved with the aerospace industry, but the students don’t see it as much that way,” LaCombe said. “We have students right now doing fabrication work for the aerospace industry – it may not feel like aerospace work, but all of their parts are aerospace related.”

Szalkiewicz shared that Stevenson MADE being involved with the AeroOne show was beneficial both to the MADE program, as well as to her personally.

“Getting Stevenson MADE out there will help us further connect with other companies, but it also showed me that a career in aerospace is another opportunity that I had never even considered beforehand.”