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 futureendeavours.

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 neverforget.

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 / theworkforce?

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 mycareer.

Did you know what you wanted to do when you leftcollege?

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 todo 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 thatsuccesses.

What is one piece of advice you would give to current Ōtūmoetai Collegestudents?

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 well- rounded background. Don’t forget to relax, and pursue other interests, and don’t be too hard onyourself.

Note: Seumas graduated with his Masters of Science in Aerospace Engineering during lockdown. Congratulations Seumas!

Lucas de Rijk

What year did you graduate from Ōtūmoetai College?

2013.

Current job title / role?

Special Projects Engineer at Rocket lab.

How long have been in this role?

A little over ayear.

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What was a lasting memory you have from your time at Ōtūmoetai College?

Pretty much all of my experiences in the robotics team. Winning Nationals without dropping a single match and then having a team on both sides of the World Championship Final in 2013, are probably the highlights.

What was your most valuable life lesson(s) learnt during your college years?

You can get a lot of value out of helping other people! I had a great time helping my classmates and mentoring my juniors in robotics. The skills I got from that came in useful at Uni where learning is often very collaborative, and you can’t rely on a lecturer to give you all of the answers.

How well did you feel Ōtūmoetai College? prepared you for tertiary study / the workforce?

Very well! The extracurricular opportunities, robotics, gave me a massive head start in my engineering degree. I also had awesome teachers who helped me grow into a more well-rounded person.

Did you know what you wanted to do when you left college?

I was confident I wanted to pursue Mechatronics Engineering at university, but I didn’t expect to be working in the space industry this early in my career. Opportunities like this were only just starting to exist in NZ back in 2013, so it is definitely worth keeping an open mind.

Why did you pursue your current area of work?

Working on things that go to space is awesome, and Rocket Lab is the only company doing major work in this area in NZ currently. In my current role I get to do a lot of “bigger picture” problem solving and analysis as well as design some pretty unique hardware that you don’t encounter in an engineering degree.

How did you get into the field you are now currently working in?

I had a knack for maths and physics in school, spent way too much time working on robotics from years 11-13, and then worked hard in my Mechatronics Engineering degree, with a particular focus on the design projects and practical skills.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I might have considered applying for overseas universities for undergrad if I had realized that was a serious option. It is worth having a think about, especially if your grades are good and you would like to live overseas for a fewyears!

What is one piece of advice you would give to current Ōtūmoetai College students?

There are many teachers, coaches, adults in general who are willing to go the extra mile if you work hard and show your passion. Don’t waste them!