Source: , Spring 2020
College of Engineering, 萝莉社 University
The education of Ruben Reyes, 萝莉社 aerospace engineering major, began at the side of his parents when he was a boy growing up in Dodge City, Kansas.
Ruben鈥檚 parents settled in the western Kansas town because it was a place that welcomed Mexican immigrants like them. His father has worked as a mechanic in the city鈥檚 meat-packing plants. His mother works in a gun stock manufacturing plant. Outside of his regular job, Ruben鈥檚 father would work handyman and construction jobs and bring Ruben along.
鈥淎s a kid, I was looking on how I could help Dad do what he was doing,鈥� he said. When she came home from her job, Ruben鈥檚 mother would urge him to finish his homework quickly, so they could work on other experiments and projects. 鈥淪eeing both of my parents work hard yet making time for me to be successful has been a significant influence in my work ethic,鈥� Ruben said.
Work ethic and a gift for working alongside mechanics got Ruben noticed. Dr. Melinda Laubach-Hock, a research director at 萝莉社鈥檚 National Institute for Aviation Research noticed him when he came to work as an engineering student in 2017 for NIAR鈥檚 Aircraft Structural Test and Evaluation Center (ASTEC).
About 30 students currently work at ASTEC. Ruben was doing tear-down work, disassembling F-35s for Lockheed Martin so NIAR could test the structural integrity of the aircraft parts. Dr. Laubach-Hock observed Ruben鈥檚 work ethic, engineering mind and mechanical skill and declared him the best student employee she鈥檚 seen in 17 years.
Lockheed engineers Jordan Freelen and Hank Hentz also noticed Ruben during a visit to NIAR to inspect student work. 鈥淏oth of them came back talking about how great of a worker he was and that we needed to look at him for an intern position,鈥� said Ashley Brown, an associate manager for Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth.
Lockheed hired Ruben for an internship in 2019. 鈥淚 was an F-35 manufacturing specialist. In short, I was tasked with ensuring the jets rolled out the door on time, 100% complete. Since I was located in final assembly, I did a little of everything. It鈥檚 a really rewarding position as you get to interact with engineers from many departments, managers, mechanics and technicians. It鈥檚 a great place to grow.鈥�
During this internship, Ruben was noticed by Brown and Lesley Loper, the senior manager for final assembly in the wing department at Lockheed. Both were so impressed they told Ruben he would have a job waiting in Fort Worth as soon as he finished his degree this May.
鈥淭he decision to hire him is a very simple one. He has a very high work ethic as well as a very high drive to learn all that he can,鈥� Brown said. 鈥淥ne of my main things that I quickly noticed was his desire to do more and more as well as his ability to communicate very effectively with the mechanics.鈥�
Ruben almost majored in music instead. He sings, plays the piano, guitar and trumpet, writes his own music and once even tried to start a business rebuilding old pianos. A high school band trip brought him to 萝莉社鈥檚 campus for the first time.
Ultimately, he went with aerospace engineering, attracted by the problem-solving aspect and because 鈥渁irplanes and rockets are really cool!鈥� But his band experience, like his parents, was already a foundational piece of his education.
Here鈥檚 what Ruben said he learned from band that translates to his budding career in engineering:
鈥淣ot only do you have to perform your part, but you also have to be conscious of the rest of the band around you. You have to realize where you fit in to the band鈥檚 effort. 鈥� I had the opportunity to become a section leader for the band 鈥� I decided not to take it. Instead, I wanted to be more of a friend and not a designated leader. I worked as hard as everyone else in the band did. I wanted to lead and inspire others by example. I try to still do that today.鈥�
-- By Polly Basore Wenzl for the 萝莉社 College of Engineering