Aerospace Engineering
- Hometown: Powell, TN
Biography
My name is Joseph Motto, and I am an Aerospace Engineer in the 2024 Cohort of the Heath Integrated Business and Engineering Program. I was originally born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and lived there until 2005 when we moved to Knoxville because Hurricane Katrina took our house and much of our possessions. My sister and I were still young at the time when my parents decided to go to college. Growing up watching my parents work hard to put themselves through college and graduate showed me the importance of work ethic and education. With both of my parents having MBAs, I always understood the importance of business even with my main interest being engineering. This led to me doing both engineering and business for the FIRST robotics team at my high school and getting a $5,000 grant from NASA for the team.
When I came to the University of Tennessee my freshman year, I initially wanted to major in Aerospace Engineering and minor in some area of business. I then heard about Heath IBEP through a member of the 2023 cohort who also happened to be my Ignite Serves TL, and after attending one of the information sessions, I learned that the program was so much more than a bridge between engineering and business. The idea of networking and being mentored by high-level executives, combined with real-world case studies, sold me.
My immediate professional goals are to graduate with a Master of Aerospace Engineering as well as obtain experience from internships through different aeronautics companies. After graduating, I intend on applying my knowledge to a profession that works hands-on with influencing and shaping the next generation of aerospace technology. Through this, I intend on furthering my education and working towards obtaining an MBA and my doctorate in Aerospace Engineering. With this, I plan on starting my own aeronautics company to further expand and grow society's current knowledge and use of aerospace technology.
