2021 graduate Olivia Lanum took advantage of all that Ole Miss Engineering has to offer
Olivia Lanum excelled academically in pursuit of her mechanical engineering degree. But – she also took time to take part in other activities to gain a wide breadth of experience.
Center for Manufacturing Excellence
On top of pursuing an engineering degree, Lanum participated in the Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) program.
“I knew the program would give me a unique skill set as a mechanical engineer,” she said. “I liked the size of the program because it was giving me the benefits of a small university while still having the resources of a large one.
She credits CME for preparing her for a career as a manufacturing engineer.
Rocket Team
Designing, building and launching rockets ranks high among Lanum’s most memorable experiences at Ole Miss.
“I had been a member of the Rocket Team since my freshman year, and it was an incredible experience to lead the team my senior year. It was great to be a part of a team that worked for countless hours on a project and to see that success,” she said.
Student organizations
Lanum served on the Engineering Student Body Leadership Council, which plans events such as the engineering formal, engineering tailgating and professional panels.
“It was very rewarding to serve the student body and plan events that everyone could enjoy,” she said.
She was also an active member of the local chapters of the Society for Women Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Getting hands-on experience
Lanum gained co-op experience at such companies as Tesla and SpaceX.
She said the experience was incredible: “I learned about what engineering disciplines I was interested in and met people from all over the country.”
But it wasn’t always easy. She said that“coming back to college classes after working for a semester was a difficult transition at first. I spent extra time watching YouTube videos to refresh my memory on material I had forgotten!”
Even with some of these challenge, Lanum is glad she gained co-op work experience while in college.
Best of all, she’s now working at SpaceX as a full-time employee.
Helpful info
Center of Manufacturing Excellence
UM Rocket Team
Student organizations
Co-ops and internships