Rowan Hankins ’30 has loved STEM since middle school, and in 2024, she found herself working on a project that was out of this world.
As a high school intern with NASA, she and fellow interns explored the idea of zero gravity, designing a payload that carried lunar soil and water aboard a parabolic flight, where the aircraft’s movements simulated space-like conditions. Months later, the group presented their design at a national conference in Washington, D.C.
Hankins is excited to bring this passion to Trinity University and pursue an engineering sciences major that will help her launch her dream of becoming an aerospace engineer.
Trinity’s Department of Engineering Sciences prioritizes a design-based, multidisciplinary approach, giving students like Hankins a holistic understanding that sets them up for success in whatever specialty they might choose.
“You get a little bit of every section of engineering, so you're pretty well-rounded,” she says.
As someone so passionate about her education, Hankins wanted to attend a university that would support her quest for knowledge. After learning more about Trinity, she realized that it was just what she was looking for: an environment where education was driven by curiosity and guided by approachable faculty.
“They recognize you as a whole person and not just a number,” she says.
Being able to easily communicate and connect with her professors is important to her, since she grew up in schools with small class sizes. She has always prioritized a strong sense of community.
“I don't want to just be a fly on the wall and not have any close relationships,” Hankins says. “I want to really know everyone that I'm with.”
The classroom isn’t the only space where she’ll gain connections. Hankins also committed to play for Trinity’s women's soccer team, motivated by her lifelong devotion to the sport and her equally strong desire for camaraderie.
Hankins knows both engineering sciences and varsity athletics come with demanding time commitments. Fortunately, Dany Munoz Pinto, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Engineering Sciences, and Head Women’s Soccer Coach Dylan Harrison ’02, reassured her that she would find the support she needs to pursue both passions.
Hankins can’t wait to make an impact on the Trinity community. As class president for the first three years of high school and student body vice president her senior year, she has learned what it means to be a leader: “It’s trying to give people who don't have a voice, a voice,” she says.
Hankins plans to model that idea in every space she finds herself in at Trinity, whether that be engineering, soccer, or another group she discovers as she keeps her options open. She wants to become someone other people can look up to.
“I want to be known for working hard, staying positive, never putting anyone else down, and trying to be the best I can,” Hankins says.
Editor's Notes: In the above images, (left) Hankins works at the UT Austin Center for Space Research. (right) Hankins stands with her poster presentation in Washington D.C.