Dionte Lett, a junior mechanical engineering major, said that he’s always been interested in engineering but was never certain where he would go from there.

Now he’s thinking outer space.

“I think every engineer would say NASA or Tesla or one of those major companies,” he said. “But that’s definitely a big goal for me.”

He said that something clicked for him while watching the Christopher Nolan movie, Interstellar.

 “I saw that movie and I was like, ‘woah,’” he said. “It really blew my mind.”

He said that, putting all of the drama of the movie aside, it was the scientific aspect that piqued his interest.

“It just the vastness of it,” he said. “There are so many possibilities. There are just so many different things you can do.”

Lett spent his first two years at Butler Community College, but he always felt he could be doing more.

“At Butler, I went to school, got my gen eds knocked out, and then came back home and played video games,” he said. “I want to do something that will allow me to make a difference and apply the skills I’m learning in school.”

He believes that he’s now in the right place to pursue his dreams, thanks in part to Wichita State’s new Innovation Campus.

“It’s a great place to come study,” he said. “The facilities, and everything, are just top of the line. Very high tech, new, fresh.”

He said that location also plays a major factor.

“If you look at Wichita State and what it has to provide,” he said. “Being right in the center of some of these major companies. That plays a big part in this. I think I’m right where I wanna be.”