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Returning to college for a second degree takes grit and determination – and Kerrie Ellzey (Psyc’12, Phys’17) had both.

After completing her degree in psychology from ����������, Ellzey taught preschool for several years before deciding to make a change. In high school, she loved physics and missed the sciences.

“I specifically wanted to study physics because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as a career, but I wanted to understand how the world worked at a very basic level,” she said.

That curiosity shaped not only her academic focus but also how she engaged with the ���������� community the second time around.

Reimagining the college experience

During her first bachelor’s degree, Ellzey wasn’t involved in many extracurriculars. Returning for a second degree allowed her to approach school differently. While an undergraduate in physics, she conducted undergraduate research and worked to improve community in the department.

“I completed an undergraduate honors thesis, got involved in CU-Prime, helped plan the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, and volunteered on other community building efforts in the department,” said Ellzey.

Ellzey’s undergraduate research with Professor Alysia Marino focused on neutrinos – the most abundant and smallest particles with measurable mass in the universe.

As part of her research, Ellzey evaluated detector options used to monitor muons, a byproduct of creating the neutrino beam sent from Fermilab, a national laboratory that specializes in high-energy particle physics.

“We put commercial and prototype detectors into the beamline at Fermilab and compared their performance to simulated performance predictions. I did both the simulation analysis and the hardware data analysis.”��

After defending her honors thesis and graduating with her second bachelor’s degree in physics, Ellzey looked to what was next for her career.

From academia to aerospace

She briefly worked at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) conducting arctic ice research before joining Ball Aerospace (now BAE Systems, Inc) as a material science engineer.

“Material science and detailed engineering was a fantastic way to become familiar with the company and technology, but after about a year I was feeling a desire to understand the larger context of what I was working on,” she said.

She then transferred into a tactical modeling and simulation group.

“I have had the incredible opportunity to create performance prediction models of RF Mission Systems and then attend flight and field test events that proved out the performance of these systems.”

She’s now expanding her work experience into a broader systems engineering role, but still with an emphasis on modeling and simulation as well as occasional test events. Ellzey also mentors earlier career engineers in performance prediction modeling and test data analysis, which she finds incredibly rewarding.

Her day-to-day in her current role varies depending on the project she’s working on.

“Sometimes I’m at a computer debugging code and crunching data, and sometimes I’m in a lab troubleshooting test hardware,” she said. “Every day I collaborate with folks from different disciplines, and periodically I make presentations and brief customers on the big picture impacts of our systems and their performance.”

Lessons from a non-traditional path

In a competitive job market, it’s not always enough to have the technical know-how.

“Show you are a well-rounded human and get technical work experience,” Ellzey advised.

As someone who now interviews others, she assumes candidates will have a research experience or internship. But those that also do something else with their time – like volunteering, leading a student organization, working as a learning assistant – are the ones that stand out.

“Those experiences help show that you will thrive in a team environment,” Ellzey added. “I didn’t put my preschool teacher work experience on my resume, but hiring managers asked about the gap in time. When I told them, that ended up being a huge selling point!”

Ellzey said she has frequently dealt with impostor syndrome because of her non-traditional career path and background. But after considering her collective experience, her mindset shifted.

“I realized all the seemingly random things I have done actually make me an asset to my team. Physics taught me how to persevere, self-teach, and gave me the technical foundation for a career in systems engineering. I also have the people skills to work well with folks of any background and that came from so many of the experiences and learning opportunities I had outside of the classroom,” said Ellzey.

Advice for future students

To make the most of your college experience, Ellzey recommends doing more than just going to class.

“College and early career can be difficult and isolating but having a community can help you be resilient during the challenges,” she said. “You will meet more people, be part of a larger community, and grow as a person.”

Ellzey’s journey is a testament to the power of curiosity and persistence. From her first degree at ����������, to teaching preschool, pursuing physics, and now launching her career in aerospace – her path has led her to success. For students considering a second degree or a career change, her advice is simple: pursue your curiosity and embrace your unique experiences. They just might be your greatest strengths.