Student Vignettes

Xavier Willis

INSTITUTION, MAJOR, AND HOBBIES

University of Georgia, Mechanical Engineering, Spending time with friends, going to the gym, and playing the guitar.

CAREER INTERESTS

The automotive, aeronautical, and mass transit industries are the fields that I am currently the most interested in, although I am still extremely fascinated by other designs and implications of machinery. As people continue to explore the vastness of space and the ocean they are going to continue to need the many different ROVs, transport vehicles, and other machinery necessary to accomplish their missions. Being able to create effecient and accessible designs for machienery anyone can use is a passion of mine, and what I hope to do in my career field.

WHY I CHOSE TO ATTEND THE USF MAKING WAVES

I chose to attend the USF Making Waves program because it provides me a new perspective in many subjects. In this program I will be observing more of the navigational aspect of things being designed. This will help expand my knowledge on what aspects of devices and transportation make navigational travel more conveinient. The opportunity to learn how to improve navigation through the use of AI, especially because the use of AI is becoming more prominent as time moves forward, is excellent experience to have. To have this knowledge while also sharing different experiences, and eventually making a podcast with fellow students in the cohort was a very valueable part of the program to me to improve my communication skills.