FEBRUARY 2025— We received news of Engineering student Abi's joyful achievement in becoming a fellow for the Patty Grace Smith Aerospace Fellowship.
I had only met Abi a couple months prior through mutual friends, and as a member of the RC community, wanted to learn more about her road to the fellowship.
How did she gain work experience? How did she glean resources from the school? What was the process of applying to the fellowship?
Ultimately, I connected with Teresa Sanchez-Snell, Lecturer and the Spanish Language Internship Program Coordinator (SLIP) at the Residential College. Teresa was a SLIP mentor to Abi and assisted her with refining her application, and felt "fortunate to connect with my students inside and outside the classroom" through SLIP. She "recalled Abi's appreciation for her internship experience within the Latine community and her deep commitment to her studies in aerospace engineering," which only made Teresa more excited to navigate this pathway with her.
"I recalled Abi's appreciation for her internship experience within the Latine community and her deep commitment to her studies in aerospace engineering".
In turn, Abi recalls her time with SLIP: "Taking SLIP was a remarkable experience. I thoroughly enjoyed attending classes and engaging with the readings because much of the content was not only relevant to my academic life but also resonated with my personal experiences as a daughter of immigrant parents".
Although her internship hunting experience was "daunting", Abi encourages students of SLIP and the wide UofM community to "go for it, if it makes you scared that is an even bigger reason".
Congratutlations to Abi, and we wish you all the best this summer!
