“One thing about me is that I want to be taken out of my comfort zone. I want to be challenged.” - Laura Danielli
Junior Laura Danielli has forged her own unique path to practice engineering.
In 2014, Brazil was the host country for soccer’s World Cup, and Rio de Janeiro, the country’s second-largest city, was two years away from hosting the Summer Olympics. Meanwhile, Danielli graduated from high school that year in her hometown of Videira, Brazil. Eleven years later, and after changes in her career path, she is currently pursuing a degree in aerospace engineering.
Danielli started her fourth semester at the University of South Carolina earlier this month, but her higher education studies began ten years ago as an environmental engineering major in Brazil.
“I did not do well with math and sciences in high school and didn’t know if it was for me, so that’s why I took some time,” Danielli says.
After only one semester, Danielli switched paths and started her professional journey as an office manager in Brazil. Soon after, she decided to move to the U.S. with her husband for work, with plans to return to school. The couple relocated to Miami, Florida, where she found an assistant job at Miami Realty Solution Group.
“It was a great place to start in the U.S. because you still have that Latin culture and still have people who speak Portuguese,” Danielli says.
After three years, Danielli moved to Washington, D.C. in 2020. She remained in real estate as a market center financial specialist with Keller Williams Metro Center in Alexandria, Virginia. According to Danielli, living in the nation’s capital was where she became completely immersed in the American culture by speaking English every day. But after two years, it was time for a change.
“The job was good because I knew what I was doing and understood the logistics, but I didn't really see myself doing that for the rest of my life,” Danielli says.
The couple was on the move again after Danielli’s husband accepted a new job in South Carolina. Her next step was to search and apply to nearby schools with engineering programs.
“Engineering always had my heart. When I was growing up, engineering was the goal,” Danielli says.
She started an engineering program at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in 2022 but always intended to transfer to USC.
“I knew that I had to be an A student and have a great GPA [to transfer to USC]. I had to show that I was worthy of coming to USC,” Danielli says.
Her work over the past ten years has paid off, and after graduating from Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in December 2023, she began classes at USC the following month to earn a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. The MCEC Peer Mentorship Program welcomed Danielli to her USC experience, and she later decided to become a mentor herself.
Immersing herself in classes led to new friendships and opportunities with organizations. She is a member of the USC chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Through the AIAA, Danielli has learned and networked through group meetings and attended the organization’s Southeastern Regional Student Conference, where she had the opportunity to hear about new research in the field. In SAE, she works on the dynamics team to help build an e-car and prepare the group to compete in Formula SAE.
“I found SAE through one of our teaching assistants,” Danielli says. “I thought, ‘I don't know anything about cars.’ But you don’t have to know anything, you can learn as you go.”
Danielli spent this past summer working with Travis Knight, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, on nuclear thermal propulsion research. She has also used her extra time to teach herself Python coding.
“She is a true self-starter. Give her general direction and she takes it from there: researching, reading, collaborating and consistently producing high-caliber work,” Knight says. “What’s most impressive is her love of learning.”
As a commuter student from Orangeburg, South Carolina, Danielli drives 50 minutes to and from campus every day for classes and events.
“My mom is like my therapist on the road,” Danielli says. “My family makes themselves present in any way they can.”
Danielli is on track to graduate in May 2027. She is keeping the future open and considering earning a master's degree immediately after graduating or finding an engineering job for more experience before continuing her studies.
“I think the unknown and being challenged to do something great made me choose aerospace [engineering],” Danielli says. “I saw that it was possible.”