Category: Applied Learning

In August 2025, Santiago Carbajal began his sophomore year as a software engineering student contractor at NetApp through Ennovar. Working with NetApp’s Performance and Benchmarking Team, Carbajal actively shapes his future through hands-on experience in this applied learning experience. Carbajal advances in his own future and in future technology by coding, testing and learning new technologies like machine learning and AI development at NetApp.

As a computer engineering freshman, Carbajal first explored career possibilities in aerospace engineering.

At the National Institute for Aviation Research, from December 2024 to August 2025, Carbajal worked as a quality assurance and engineering student assistant at NIAR’s Research Advanced Machining and Prototyping Laboratory. At NIAR, he perfected his eye for detail.

In May 2025, Michael Rivas graduated from Wichita State with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Before graduating, he shared his educational journey and its challenges with Wichita Public Schools (USD 259) high school students.

Working with Wichita State Undergraduate Admissions’ lead admissions representative, Baylee Almos, Rivas became a college access coach his senior year. He became integral in enhancing college accessibility and providing post-secondary planning to high school upperclassmen. Rivas connected with students about his honest experience as a first-generation, transfer and nontraditional student.

Nidhi Shenoy is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in quantitative analysis and economics at Wichita State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and economics from Mount Carmel College in May 2024. Since then, Shenoy has embraced every opportunity to bridge data analysis with storytelling.  

In the summer of 2025, Shenoy became an essential part of internal communication at The Smart Factory by Deloitte. As an internal marketing intern, she played a key role in streamlining communication for thousands of employees. Drawing on her background in journalism and economics, Shenoy analyzed data and produced content for the experience team. 

In May 2025, Rory Mata graduated from Wichita State with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and another in chemistry. She also earned a Spanish for the Professions undergraduate certificate. Mata fully explored professional pathways in both fields during her internships. She explored a career as a chemistry researcher at NASA in Kansas and as a Spanish translator at the Exploration Place, through an internship funded by Wichita State’s Applied Learning Fund. 

Golam Morshed Khan, a recent graduate, received his master’s degree in management science in supply chain management in May 2025. Before attending Wichita State, he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in Bangladesh. While completing his master’s, he worked at Wichita State’s Student Outreach and Support as a front desk student assistant, where he developed soft and technical skills. 

As part of Wichita State’s CARE Team, Student Outreach and Support’s mission is to support Shockers by providing resources and care. As a student assistant, Khan was the first connection between Shockers in need and the CARE Team, honing his soft skills in every interaction. With a mix of responsibilities, he was discreet when handling students’ private information. 

After earning her bachelor’s degree in physical education, PreK–12, in fall 2023, Trajata Colbert returned to Wichita State in spring 2025 to complete her student teaching and earn her teaching license. During this final step in her preparation, she gained hands-on experience through an applied learning placement that took her to multiple schools. These rotations provided a variety of professional experiences and meaningful connections with students — solidifying her path as a fully licensed teacher after spring 2025.

Amrutha Dasyam is a Wichita State Ph.D. candidate majoring in aerospace engineering. Her research focuses on spacecraft trajectory design and planning using artificial intelligence at Wichita State’s Astronautics Laboratory. In 2021, she earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Wichita State and stayed to pursue her doctorate through the postbaccalaureate plan of study. Now as a doctoral student, she focuses on her research in her graduate research assistant role.  

Already familiar with the Aerospace Engineering department, working at the Astronautics Lab was a welcoming environment. There, Dasyam’s research centers on aero-assist maneuvers such as aerobraking and aerocapture — techniques that help spacecraft enter the final science orbit more efficiently. She uses machine learning to estimate atmospheric density and to develop adaptive guidance and control systems that respond to changing flight conditions. To support trajectory planning, Dasyam designs algorithms, runs simulations and analyzes data to evaluate performance and accuracy. 

Zayden Tomson, a graphic design senior, currently interns with the Shocker Career Accelerator, where he creates promotional materials for student career resources and events. His professional design journey with the Shocker Career Accelerator began in summer 2025, and since then, he’s been refining his skills while making a visible impact across campus.

Before joining Shocker Career Accelerator, Zayden interned with No Choice But Action, a local business that celebrates Kansas’ 90s punk rock scene. There, he began developing a strategic design mindset — creating posters and merchandise that authentically reflected the era’s aesthetic.

“This internship helped me to put myself in a more consumer-oriented mindset,” Zayden said. “My designs had been for practice up until that point, so having an audience that would be promoted towards was a great change of pace and a useful learning curve.”

Wichita State students earned a record-breaking $39.2 million through applied learning in the 2025 academic year — a powerful testament to WSU’s hands-on approach to career readiness and its role in strengthening the Kansas workforce.

That marks an 11% increase from the previous year’s $35.3 million. And more students than ever are receiving these opportunities, with 12,328 applied learning experiences — a 31% jump over last year’s 9,397 — through paid, resume-building work with area businesses, organizations, on-campus positions and Innovation Campus companies, all while still pursuing their degrees.

The record gains come as Wichita State’s celebrates its fifth straight year of enrollment growth, with more than 18,458 students enrolled at its main campus this fall. University leaders say the growth reflects the appeal of applied learning, which has become central to WSU’s mission of providing affordable education with real-world value.

“This work changes lives,” Wichita State President Rick Muma said. “Applied learning equips our students with the skills and competence to make immediate and meaningful contributions to their employers immediately after graduation.”

Janett Lerma-Reyes, a mechanical engineering sophomore, was an operations summer 2025 intern at Shuttlewagon. She taught herself SolidWorks, a 3D modeling software, through her LinkedIn Learning student access, which all Wichita State students have access to. Steps that prepared her for her operations intern role.

Shuttlewagon, a mobile railcar mover manufacturer, designs railcar movers for rail yards, industrial facilities and ports. At the Kansas City location, Lerma-Reyes’ work centers around Shuttlewagon’s assembly line processes, improving its efficiency, accuracy and safety for workers. Before starting her role, she took advantage of her First-Year Seminar class, Intro to Tech and Design, learning the basics of continuous improvement.