Three Virginia Tech engineers reveal how a welcoming team, hands-on projects, and a little stubbornness can change the course of your career. Claudia Pack, Kate Taipale, and Madison Yeatts share how Design Build Fly took them from uncertain freshmen to women leading real aircraft design, testing, and manufacturing work. What makes this conversation stand out is how different their paths are—and how similar the outcome is. Claudia explains how her aerospace and chemistry background led to flight test engineering and a passion for pushing past “pushy” labels. Kate breaks down her Boeing internships on the V-22 Osprey, the reality of shop-floor engineering, and why DBF helped her realize she wants hands-on work, not a desk all day. Madison shares how a Framatome internship in nuclear design is expanding her view of mechanical engineering and why she’s now excited about systems-level thinking. You’ll hear how Design Build Fly actually works—from annual rule changes and flight missions to 60-page technical reports, prototype crashes, and all-night rebuilds. You’ll also hear what it takes to thrive in engineering when you’re often the only woman in the room, why asking for what you want matters, and how these three found confidence through mentorship, collaboration, and real responsibility.This episode is packed with practical insight for engineering students, women in STEM, and anyone wondering whether they belong in a technical field. If you need proof that the right team can turn hesitation into momentum, this conversation delivers it.

Claudia Pack is an aerospace engineering graduate from Virginia Tech who interned at BAE Systems and is moving into flight test engineering. Her experience in DBF and chemistry gives her a unique lens on design, testing, and propulsion.

Kate Taipale is a mechanical engineering graduate from Virginia Tech who interned at Boeing on the V-22 Osprey and has deep experience in composites, structures, and teaching as an undergraduate teaching assistant. She brings a candid perspective on adapting from school to industry and leading as chief engineer.

Madison Yeatts is a Virginia Tech mechanical engineering student interning at Framatome and stepping into a systems lead role on DBF. She brings the perspective of someone still in the middle of the journey, learning how hands-on engineering opens unexpected doors.Perfect for anyone who loves aerospace, project teams, and honest conversations about women carving out space in engineering. If you’ve ever doubted whether you belong in STEM, this one is worth your time.

In this episode, Aanya Gupta shares how her original goal of becoming a doctor evolved as she discovered coding, engineering, and computational public health. She discusses developing agent-based models to study vaccine uptake and disease spread, using synthetic data to estimate chronic disease prevalence, and experiencing the iterative process of turning research into published work.

She also reflects on working with clinicians and a patient through Stanford’s Clinical Science, Technology and Medicine internship, where her team developed an assistive robotic system that helped a woman with rheumatoid arthritis knit again. Aanya dives into studying quantum software through MIT Beaver Works, presenting technical research to hundreds of researchers and industry professionals, and exploring artificial intelligence as a software intern at Raytheon.

Beyond research, Aanya opens up about founding TJ Climbing, leading HackTJ, finding mentors, and learning how to create communities where other students can explore alongside her. She shares why she wishes she had spent less time worrying about the next achievement, why trying seemingly unrelated things helped her understand herself better, and why young women shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help, put themselves out there, and pursue whatever genuinely interests them—even when they don’t know exactly where it will lead.

Sofie Roux and Rachel Grant are Stanford engineers whose work spans solar-powered race cars, sustainable architecture, aerospace, and global education. As leaders of the Stanford Solar Car Project, they helped rebuild a struggling team, transform an aging vehicle into a second-place finisher, and prepare the next generation of students to design an entirely new car.

In this episode, Sofie shares how she founded Bloombox Design Labs at sixteen and began transforming shipping containers into solar-powered STEAM classrooms in Malawi. She also discusses her work as the Solar Array Lead for Stanford Solar Car, where every decision requires balancing energy capture, aerodynamics, reliability, and the needs of the larger team.

Rachel traces her unconventional path from collegiate volleyball and biomechanics research to mechanical engineering, combustion chemistry, and aerospace. She reflects on working as a build engineer on Starship’s propulsion system at SpaceX, studying the extreme conditions spacecraft encounter during reentry, and leading the mechanical development of Stanford’s solar car.

Together, Sofie and Rachel open up about all-nighters at the racetrack, learning through failure, rebuilding lost institutional knowledge, and finding lifelong friendships through engineering. They also share what it means to be one of the few women in the room—and why young women should never feel pressured to become quieter, less creative, or perfect in order to be taken seriously.