Fresno State alumnus Francisco Licea developed a love of engineering from his father, Cisco, an engineer himself who worked with the International Space Station program and instilled in his son a lifelong wonder about planes, flight and space.

That curiosity led the Bakersfield native to Fresno State, where he majored in mechanical engineering and worked closely with faculty like Dr. Deify Law to create a pathway to reach his dream of working in the aerospace industry.

Fresno State’s undergraduate programs in the Lyles College of Engineering have consistently ranked among the top 100 by U.S. News and World Report since 2020. While Fresno State does not have an aerospace engineering major yet, Licea found mechanical engineering to be the next best thing in preparing for an engineering career.

Internship opportunities, extracurricular activities and engineering clubs gave him an experience like no other, Licea says. He made important connections with classmates who helped each other succeed and got the important job and research experience that allowed him to travel, present and meet people, he says.

And with help from professor Law, Licea pushed his academic limits by getting involved in research and taking graduate level classes like computational fluid dynamics. Licea graduated in 2022 and is now a systems test engineer for Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense company, in Southern California.