Favorite Recreation: Mountain biking
When I Snack I Eat: "Snickers bars!"
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Movie: Is a Bruce Lee Movie Fan
Favorite Childhood Toy: Legos and Transformers
TV Show I Try To Catch: "The Simpsons."
How Many Push-Ups Can You Do? "About 20. I'm a little out of shape."

What are you currently working on?
"What I'm working on is modernizing the flight control computer in the C-17 - that's the 'brain' of the C-17."

In what way is your job satisfying?
"I specifically work on C-17s and C-130s. Those are the two airplanes that transport troops out. My job is to make sure that the 18-year-old kid who just enlisted gets to where he's going - safely. I like that a lot."

What was your most exciting day, so far?
"It was when we were doing low-levels on the C-17 to test our new data boxes. And my team and I just sat there - in the C-17 - and you could see the snow-capped mountains in the distance, and we were fixing it, playing with it to make it perfect. It was a great moment because I thought, 'Who gets to play with technology like this, on a C-17, right out of college?'"

A sonic boom moment.
(An actual sonic boom was heard in the middle of our interview.) "Now that's pretty cool! (Gatsha laughs.) It goes on all the time. When I first got here, I heard it go off, I jumped out of my chair, and my co-worker said, 'It's the planes breaking the sound barrier, they do it all the time.' That's an Edwards moment right there! I have these moments all the time. When I drive home, I see an F-22 depart... or a B-2 that looks like a giant bat... you don't see that anywhere else. You can certainly work elsewhere, but you will never see the things you see here."

Why did you choose Edwards?
"Basically, if you like airplanes, there's no other choice but Edwards. You'll never see the technology you'll see here elsewhere."

Tell us about your first days on the job.
"When I first got here, I started off in engineering pretty quickly. About a week into my job, I was already assigned a project to work on. I was also asked to sit in on meetings for other projects in the works."

What's the coolest project you've ever worked on?
"The most advanced technology I've worked with so far is an onboard data system. Instead of typically putting it in a control room for the C-17s and C-130s... because they are so large, we worked on ensuring onboard data monitoring capability. I started this project the first year I got here, and since then, I've been working to improve it. We sit inside the aircraft and make real-time data calls on the spot."

Tell us about your training.
"When I first joined Edwards, I received their New Engineer Training, a four-month-long course. We learned the history of Edwards, the different Engineering professions they have here, met the bomber squadron, the fighter squadron…it was pretty cool."

Do you enjoy flexibility with the job?
"If I decide I want to try a different Engineering Directorate, I can go ahead and do that. They are extremely reasonable with your schedule and your career goals. That's definitely job flexibility right there."

What do you usually do for recreation?
"There are two full gyms on base. I try to go to the gym on a daily basis. One has a pool, aerobics room, weight room, and a full-sized basketball court. The other one is a smaller, family-oriented gym. One time, my wife and I jumped in the car and drove up to Ojai, California. I think it's one of the prettiest places on earth. You can also go to Vegas if you want... you can go skiing... everything is about two hours away. People here also go to L.A. or Santa Barbara all the time."

How does working for the DoD compare to working in the private sector?
"Before I joined, I had no idea such a cool job actually existed in civil service! I didn't really give much thought to it before the opportunity presented itself. I was going to work in the private sector. I was actually a little nervous about that because I heard about the layoffs there. Working for the DoD gives me stability. If your program ends, they simply move you to another sector. They look out for you. The pay is actually higher and it's not constrictive at all. There are opportunities to try my hand in a lot of projects. I never thought I would have the opportunity to fly around in a C-17 - to do the things I'm doing now. It's definitely surpassed my expectations."