Natalie McConico is a homegrown Wichitan who was already well-versed in the many attributes of Wichita State University. She was particularly impressed by the opportunities available to engineering students.

Natalie is one of more than 1,200 students eligible for fall 2025 graduation. Learn more about her time at Wichita State and what's next for the grad.

Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering

Wichita

Wichita North High School

A teacher

I am local and able to get in-state tuition. The bonus is that the engineering program sounded spectacular and well-rounded with great opportunities for applied learning.

I was grateful to be awarded multiple scholarships that were able to cover the majority of my tuition. This includes the Wichita State's Merit Scholarship, JFK Memorial Scholarship, the Walter & Olive A. Beech Engineering Scholarship, and the Shocker Completion Grant. With these scholarships, I had the ability to save up enough throughout each year to pay the remainder of my tuition, as the price can be a bit daunting for an 18-year-old.

I was thankful to be able to work as both a contractor my freshman year and participate in the cooperative education program the remainder of my undergraduate time at Spirit AeroSystems (now The Boeing Co.). This time was very valuable in testing my new engineering skills at work, learning from professionals in the field, and taking the work experience to better understand the context behind my class subjects.

My biggest advice is to take time to decide what your goals are for the future and how you can aid those throughout your college experience. Does this mean you need to constantly be on the grind? No! But recognize that decisions you make now should be in support of that future.

I plan to transfer from the cooperative education program to a full-time employee at Spirit Aerosystems as an industrial engineer.

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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