Junior Bailey Pham Discusses New SASE Chapter, Northrop Grumman Internships
by Maddie Cresswell
Q: Tell me about your involvement with SASE.
A: SASE stands for Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers. We just recently received our charter. I started the chartering process for Baylor’s chapter last semester. After, meeting a lot of people through my internship who were members of different chapters of SASE, it sounded like an amazing opportunity to expand the community and resources for engineering students with Asian heritage.
Q: What is it like being the president of SASE?
A: It is a lot of coordinating with other officers to make sure we are running smoothly which has been a great learning experience. It has been a process of learning how to delegate tasks instead of just doing them myself. We do a lot of coordinating for events such as panels and fundraisers. Our chapter had a great time attending the SASE South Central Regional Conference at Texas A&M on March 2. You can find us @SASEBaylor on Instagram.
Q: What is your history of internships?
A: After my sophomore year, I worked with Northrop Grumman in San Diego. Specifically, I worked in stress analysis.
Q: What does an internship in stress analysis look like?
A: It is just looking at parts and analyzing them for failure. How much load can I put on a certain part before it breaks? I was working specifically with plane parts, so we had to make sure that the parts could withstand the pressure required to function successfully.
Q: Do you hope to work in aerospace engineering?
A: Honestly, I am not sure. I have a foot in the door if I want the opportunity to continue in aerospace. I was on a classified project, working in a SCIF room. There was no internet access, and you could not bring your phone in. It was a little intense, so I am undecided whether I can see myself doing that long-term.
Q: Do you have an internship lined up for this coming summer?
A: Yes! I am headed back to Northrop Grumman, this time in Palmdale, California. I will be in a slightly different position but in the same program on the actual production line, and I will be able to be around the planes.
Q: What brought you to Baylor?
A: I wanted to go somewhere warm. The winters can be rough in Nebraska. I was also drawn to the Christian aspect of Baylor. I have been in public school my whole life, so it has been nice getting to openly talk about my faith with people.
Q: Do you have a favorite aspect of being a Baylor engineering student?
A: Honestly, I just love the content of what I’m learning. All that I have been learning has been clicking for me. I still do a lot of studying, however, the application process of what I have studied so hard is satisfying. Being able to do the sort of complex things I am in my junior-level classes has been exciting. All the things I learn from my professors make working on complex things not as scary.