Andrea Navarro has had quite the college journey. She was a student-athlete on the track team, graduated in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in finance, and is back getting her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Why? It makes her happy.

Navarro liked math and decided on a finance major, but after graduation, she found her heart wasn’t in it.

“When I told my parents I was going back for engineering, they told me I should just try and find a good job in finance,” Navarro says.

She knew staying in finance wouldn’t make her happy in the long run, so Navarro took on the challenge of another degree and will graduate in December. While working at her 3S internship she was offered and accepted a full-time position.

“It was a really quick, easy transition,” Navarro says. “I did what I’m doing now.”

Navarro’s official title is Aircraft Certification Analyst. She likes certification because she’s a naturally curious person who wants to understand the whole picture of what she’s looking at. In her position, she has an overview of the industry that she’s not able to get in class.

“I recommend that people interested in the aerospace industry go anywhere with certification first because you get the full view of what you’re looking at,” Navarro says. “When I have the whole project in front of me, I know why I’m doing what I’m doing, and you don’t always get that.”

Navarro’s Handshake search for an internship led her to a full-time position with 3S, where she’s happy doing certification work. She says working full-time and going to school full-time is not easy, but that she’s almost at the finish line and doesn’t regret the decisions that led her here.

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Wichita State's applied learning program gives students hands-on, paid experience with industry partners, helping them build careers before graduation.

For more information, contact the Shocker Career Accelerator at (316) 978-3688, SCA@wichita.edu, or visit wichita.edu/Career. You can also stop by in person at the Marcus Welcome Center, Suite 139, on the Wichita State campus.