Where are they now? It’s always exciting to learn about what happened to past students and both Lucas’s and Seumas’s stories show that an Ōtūmoetai College education provides an important grounding for future endeavours.
Seumas Beedie
What year did you graduate from Ōtūmoetai College? 2013.
Current job title / role? Aerospace Engineer. I am a Graduate Research Associate at the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL), and a PhD candidate in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. I have worked on a range of projects including developing 3D printed drones for the U.S. Army, and developing humanitarian mission simulations for Lockheed Martin and the Australian Department of Defence. In my role, I develop modelling, simulation, and analysis for a range of industry and government projects, and present this research to the stakeholders, some of which have included the commanding General of the U.S. What is a lasting (positive) memory you have from your time at Ōtūmoetai College? I helped found the robotics team, and dedicated way too many lunchtimes to it. Getting the chance to represent the school at the world championships twice4 with some of my best mates was an incredible opportunity I’ll never forget.
What was your most valuable life lesson(s) learnt during your college years? Learn from your mistakes – whether they’re academic or social, making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn. Chances are the mistake won’t matter at all in the long run, and you’re much less likely to make that same mistake when it really does matter. How well did you feel Ōtūmoetai College prepared you for tertiary study / the workforce? I felt well prepared entering University, partially due to the range of subjects I studied in College – in Year 13 I took history and statistics, two subjects you might not necessarily associate with engineering, but they helped to give me a rounded, big-picture view that has been invaluable in my career. Did you know what you wanted to do when you left college? I’ve always known I wanted to end up in aerospace engineering, but when I left college, I wasn’t quite sure how to make that a reality.
I studied mechatronics engineering at the University of Auckland to give me a broad background in engineering, and through a combination of luck and hard work managed to transition into aerospace engineering by moving to the U.S. Why did you pursue your current area of work? I’ve always loved engineering, and in my opinion, there’s nothing cooler than planes and spacecraft. Nothing is faster, louder, more complex, or more expensive. How did you get into the field you are now currently working in? In my final year of my undergraduate degree, I went to a talk by a former ASDL graduate on satellite data fusion. I asked her the best way to get into the aerospace industry, and she recommended I apply to ASDL. One grueling application process later, I found myself on a plane to America!
If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently? I honestly can’t say I’d change a whole lot – I got plenty of grades I was unhappy with and made plenty of mistakes along the way, but I’ve found I’ve learned far more from my mistakes that successes. What is one piece of advice you would give to current Ōtūmoetai College students? Work hard – but not too hard. Don’t get me wrong: it’s important to work hard, but going through University, I’ve seen so many people work too hard and burn out. Grades are important, but even more important is passion, communication, ability, and a wellrounded background. Don’t forget to relax, and pursue other interests, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Note: Seumas graduated with his Masters of Science in Aerospace Engineering during lockdown. Congratulations Seumas!
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