Elizabeth Gainey

Elizabeth Gainey

Class of 2018

NASA JPL Summer Intern, 2nd Year Mechanical Engineering PHD Student at Auburn University

Elizabeth Gainey, valedictorian of McGehee’s Class of 2018 and soccer captain that same year, went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Studio Art and Latin and University Honors from the University of Alabama. She is now pursuing her PhD at Auburn University, where she’s making strides in space research.

This summer, Elizabeth completed a prestigious 10-week internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Los Angeles, becoming the first intern in the newly launched Parts Engineering School—a collaboration between JPL and several universities, including Auburn. The program focuses on training the next generation of parts engineers for research roles. During her internship, Elizabeth gained invaluable hands-on experience, shadowed some of the leading experts in space exploration, and presented her research findings to NASA headquarters, helping shape the future of the internship program.

Elizabeth credits McGehee for instilling in her the confidence to pursue ambitious goals: "McGehee gave me the space to put myself out there, whether for sports, leadership positions, or college applications. The worst that can happen is it doesn’t work out. That mindset has led me to apply for grad schools and internships that seemed out of reach, and after a few failures, things are working out pretty well."

She also reflects on how McGehee’s Honor Code shaped her values: "There’s no ‘honor code’ in the real world, but the principles it taught me guide how I carry myself today. I not only hold myself to those standards, but I hold others to them as well."
 

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