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CAST Alumni Spotlight: Diego Villegas

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“The leadership skills I gained during my time at the Advanced Learning Academy prepared me for a successful college experience,” Diego Villegas shared as he reflected on his achievements since graduating from ALA in 2021. Since graduation, Diego has been attending the University of Texas at Dallas where he majors in mechanical engineering. 

 

For the past 3 years, Diego has been a part of the American Insitute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) chapter at UT Dallas. AIAA is an aerospace engineering-focused student organization aimed at providing undergraduate and graduate students of all disciplines opportunities to begin their engineering careers by working on extracurricular technical projects and attending industry events. 

 

Furthermore, Diego has taken on a leadership position serving as the Vice President of his chapter in which he oversees the officers and chief engineers who are running the technical projects. As the Vice President, Diego works to ensure that projects have the proper funding, resources, and support they need from the organization. He works closely with the president, treasurer, and marketing team to lead AIAA at UT Dallas. 

 

Currently, Diego is also leading the development of an autonomous micro UAV for the 2025 AIAA Design, Build, Fly Competition. The team uses the skills learned in their classes to design and manufacture a sub-250-gram aircraft that mounts onto the belly of a larger sub-6-foot aircraft. Diego is using aerodynamic analysis software, computer-aided design (CAD), and 3D printing to bring the project to life, and works closely with other team members to integrate the autonomous electronics into the lightweight craft. Diego and his team are excited to see the planes fly in April. 

 

Diego credits his time at ALA for much of his success, saying that he has used his experiences in the ALA theater department “in a completely different field.” Diego shared “I believe that no matter what career I had chosen, my ALA experience would have allowed me to be successful as a leader, follower, and learner!” 

 

We couldn’t be more proud of Diego’s accomplishments and we wish him continued success in his college and career endeavors!

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