Noelle Steber

I was always someone who liked using both sides of their brain, and when I first applied to MIT I was a little concerned that the creative side of my brain would shrivel, even though I wanted to be an engineer and solve problems. I was very pleased to arrive and find out about the wonderful HASS classes and quickly gravitated to my favorite subject area–Literature. I knew Literature was going to be my concentration as a freshman, and then I had so much fun in the classes that I kept signing up for them and eventually ended up with a minor. It was great to put away the P-sets and run over to a completely different side of campus to have a great discussion on British novels, cyberpunk themes, or the Bible. I enjoyed the classes so much that I’ve donated to the department as an alum–it’s a great way to continue to give back to MIT and to know that the funding is going to some of the classes and activities that I liked best as an undergrad.

I currently work at Johnson Space Center teaching astronauts how to use the communications systems onboard the International Space Station and running training simulations for the flight controllers in Mission Control. I am in a field that requires both sides of my brain, and deciding to study both literature and aerospace engineering at MIT inspired me to find a job like that and helps me do my job well.