An alumna of Girls Preparatory School has a simple message for students: Don't stand on the sidelines.
"If you even think you are even interested in something, go learn more about it," Lara Counts Magallanes said in her advice to young girls.
"And in the process of doing that, you'll discover if it's something you want to continue or if it's really not for you," she said. "I don't want them to stand on the sidelines ... because then I think you'll miss out on a lot of stuff."
Mrs. Magallanes, is part of a team developing a new generation jet for Boeing and visited GPS Thursday as part of a two-day conference on careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
"Anytime we can get our alumnae back as role models to show how a GPS education has helped them it's great," GPS Director of Communications Anne Exum said. "It helps inspire the girls."
Mrs. Magallanes said her experience of "being pushed in a lot of different directions simultaneously" while at GPS taught her time management skills and balance.
Employed at Honeywell in the aerospace division, she has been a liaison between Honeywell and Boeing during the development of its latest jet, the Boeing 747-8 freighter. The plane is the largest built by Boeing and first took flight earlier this month.
Mrs. Magallanes has worked on the project for four years and said seeing the finished product is her favorite part.
"It was really great to see that this is what we were working on for so long and it flies and it works. It was really cool," she said, adding that she stood in the rain with her colleagues and watched the plane land from its maiden flight.
Mrs. Magallanes said she first realized she was interested in the aerospace field in fifth grade after a series of class trips to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., and visiting observatories with her grandfather.
She entered an aerospace engineering program at the University of Colorado at Boulder and went to work for Boeing right after graduation.
Though working in a male-dominated industry has its challenges, she said that the differences are beneficial and ultimately "brings creativity to the work force."
"We are all trying to reach the same goal and that in this case is getting a plane off the ground and trying to make sure that our engineering behind it is solid," she said.
With this project complete, she said she is excited for her next challenge.
As for what that may be and where it may take her -- that remains up in the air, she said.