Dev Vyas

I grew up in Gujarat, India. Growing up, my mom made sure I was watching the right things — Cosmos, How the Universe Works, all of it. I didn't fully understand it at the time, but I knew I liked it. I have this memory of building paper airplanes with my grandpa, just the two of us, trying to figure out what made one fly farther than another. And then I watched Iron Man for the first time, and that was it. Aerospace engineering. That's what I wanted to do. I came to Wichita State in August 2022 to pursue my bachelor's in aerospace engineering. Final year now, graduating May 2027.

At 18 I interned with STAR — Space Technology and Aeronautical Rocketry — back in Surat, building a solid rocket motor test stand from the ground up. First time I built something where the failure mode was genuinely dangerous. It changed how I think about engineering. At WSU I spent two years at GoCreate Makerspace running the shop floor — CNC, welding, 3D printing, whatever came through the door. Now I'm at NIAR as an AFP operator, laying up composite panels for research programs. Sometimes it's a flat carbon fiber panel, sometimes it's inlet ducts or exhaust pipes for an actual aircraft. I never fully know what's coming next, and I like that.

I run. Started with 5Ks, worked up to a half marathon, and a full is next — hasn't been officially signed up for yet, but it's decided. Working out is the same kind of thing — it started as something that let me spend time with myself, but it's grown into something bigger. It's cleared my head, built my confidence, boosted my self-esteem, and honestly just become a part of who I am. I enjoy it more than I expected to.

I picked up guitar about a year ago. I'm not where I want to be yet, but I'm having fun, and that's the most important part. I've also been taking photos and making videos since 2020 — longer than I realized. For a while I was scared to put myself out there. I'm less scared now. I'm working on building my personal brand, which sounds more polished than I mean it: I just want to share what I'm thinking about, document what I'm doing, and meet people I wouldn't have met otherwise.

Full marathon. Graduating May 2027. Figuring out what to build next — something of my own, beyond the degree. The specifics are still in progress, but the direction is clear.