Student Profile – Aashna Gajaria
For Aashna Gajaria, Aerospace Engineering is more than just a major—it’s a lifelong passion fueled by exploration, creativity, and hands-on activities. Now a senior at San José State University (SJSU), Aashna has blended her curiosity with a love for adventure, whether designing rockets, snowboarding, or studying abroad, she continuously seeks to help build technology that expands what’s possible for humanity in space.
Born and raised in the heart of Silicon Valley, Aashna credits her parents, an engineer and a teacher, for fostering her curiosity and work ethic. “Both of them worked incredibly hard to give me opportunities they didn’t have,” she shares. She’s proudly paving her own path in a field where she is motivated to make meaningful differences.
Her interest in engineering started at a young age. The initial spark began after attending NASA Open Days, where she had the opportunity to watch demos, see real spacecraft models, and be immersed in the world of aerospace. At home, she found joy in building kits, fixing things with her parents, and experimenting with remote control cars. Aashna says, “Those early experiences made engineering feel natural and exciting, like something I was meant to do.”
This drive eventually led her to take on a Rocket Club leadership role. As treasurer, Aashna combines technical work with planning, budgeting, and fundraising to ensure members have the resources to bring their ideas to life. One of her most memorable experiences was at Tripoli Central California, where they built, launched, and recovered rockets using certified H or I impulse class motors, earning them a Level 1 (L1) Certification. She helped first-time flyers with their OpenRocket simulations, making an unforgettable experience for them.
Aashna’s leadership and skills also extend beyond the campus. This summer, she’ll be joining Lockheed Martin as a Systems Engineering intern. After attending a satellite presentation on campus, she stayed behind to speak with recruiters and made a strong impression. To prepare for the interview, Aashna says, “I held mock interview sessions with my mentor at NASA, which gave me valuable practice and boosted my confidence.”
Through her time at SJSU, one of the skills Aashna is most proud of is her ability to think from multiple perspectives. “There’s rarely just one right answer in engineering,” she says. “Being able to look at challenges from multiple angles helps me collaborate better with others, find creative solutions, and understand that everyone sees the world differently.”
Aashna envisions her future to be working at organizations like NASA, Lockheed Martin, or contributing to deep space missions and next-generation projects like the James Webb Space Telescope. She’s interested in integrating nuclear energy into space missions for propulsion and sustainable power systems.
With every project and launch, Aashna is both figuratively and literally reaching for the stars, inspiring others to dream big and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Tech investing playbook: Evolution of Big Tech dominance – featuring Prof. Ahmed Banafa
The “Magnificent Seven” in stock include Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms (Facebook), Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla, which make up nearly 30% of the S&P 500 (a stock ranking index). Professor Banafa explains that while this is not new, drawing on past time periods like the dot-com era and the FAANG wave, what is notable is the products and services these companies are offering to business operations (B2B), especially with AI reshaping these operations. While these companies are incredibly profitable, cash-rich, and globally dominant, as an investor, if one stumble occurs, their whole portfolio can be affected.
Watch Banafa’s full interview now!