Ryan Pfeiffer's ePortfolio

My name is Ryan Pfeiffer, and my career goal is to become an aerospace engineer. And ever since middle school, I have wanted to go down the engineering path. But even before that I have always enjoyed building things, from fixing fences and doors, to drawing and designing aircraft. Which prompted me to aspire into the engineering path. And I figure that I can become the best and most successful version of myself through engineering. But with that I am a very diverse and resilient person when it comes to interesting work fields, weather it be anatomy, pathophysiology, biomedicine and health care or military technology, the future of warfare and weaponry advancements. I'm especially interested in aerospace, particularly spacecraft and military avionics. I've also always been fascinated by aeronautics and different technological industries just like it.

Some of the classes I'm taking currently and have taken in the past that will help me get to my career goal include astronomy, Honors algebra, Honors physics and the Engineering class in the James A Forrest career/tech center. I also took US History Honors, AP World History, AP seminar and AP Government, which doesn't exactly affiliate with my goal of aerospace but will definitely help me get into colleges that offer the advanced courses that I want to take. With these classes (and other activities) I gained multiple skills such as time management, following instruction, organization, flexibility, strong awareness, timing, adaptation to new environments/problems and the ability to fix those problems on time.

During my childhood I participated in multiple sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. I learned basics like teamwork, communication and social skills at an early age. I started playing lacrosse in high school which offered me new skills such as humility, work ethic, and dedication.  As a freshman who had never played the sport before. I showed up, took hits both physical and mental, was accountable for any mistakes I made, stayed persistent, and never gave up despite odds. I made the team and further worked on my skills and capability. I then made the team my sophomore year and continued into varsity doing travel leagues. This is where I learned how to balance school and other activities while preforming at my best aptitude. I learned to persevere and endure my challenges and struggles. When I begin to apply to colleges, I plan to continue playing lacrosse and my other athletic organizations throughout my last few high school years and work in other programs to increase my acceptance rates and solidify my spots.

My plan after high school is to apply for engineering universities such as MIT, Virginia Tech or University of Maryland. I'm aiming towards a bachelor's degree, (and hopefully an ROTC rank depending on the college). After that, I'm strongly considering joining the air force as an aircraft engineer where I intend on working in hands on environments.

After I've become an engineer, I'm considering furthering my contribution to technology advancement in other types of aerospace possibly by working for NASA or private space venture companies. Either working on spacecraft or assisting with other avionic fields. I intend to have my work put to use to make air/space transportation reliable and more efficient. Hopefully my impact will increase our efforts to explore the space around us and encourage others to follow my footsteps. When I manage to complete my engineering goal, I will do my best to make our society better, making a difference in our future.