Published Jun 22, 2026 6 min read
When Brianna talks about her work, one thing comes through right away: she likes building things she can hold in her hands.
That instinct shaped her first big decision in college. Now heading into her second year at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Brianna chose mechanical engineering technology over mechanical engineering on purpose. “Technology is more hands-on and less theoretical,” she said. “I learn better hands-on, and I want a job where I’m continuing to work with my hands — not just doing all the stuff behind the scenes.”
This summer, that path led her to a mechanical engineering internship at Moog. It’s a milestone years in the making, and it traces back to two things working together: a manufacturing program that put opportunities in front of her, and a platform that helped her act on them.
Finding Her Footing Through Dream It Do It
Brianna first got involved with Dream It Do It in high school, when a tech teacher walked her through the advanced manufacturing program and what it would take to earn a Master Black Belt. She already had most of the requirements. “It was just another thing to feel like an accomplishment that I wanted to achieve,” she said.
What stood out most about the program was the access it gave her. Through industry open houses and career-fair scavenger hunts, Brianna found herself in real conversations with companies she might never have approached on her own. “It almost forced you to talk to people,” she said. “Through that, I was able to meet and gain connections with all these companies.”
One of those connections changed everything. Through her high school’s Bulldog Manufacturing program, Brianna was paired with her mentor, Brian Schumann, a retired Moog machinist who came back to teach a small group of students. Over more than 80 hours of machine training, he worked with her one-on-one on manual lathes — a big step up in precision from the wood lathe she’d used at home.
What made the mentorship stick wasn’t just the technical skill. It was how it felt.
“He created fun projects that made you want to learn more,” she said. “It didn’t feel like a chore. It felt more like something I get to do rather than something I have to do.” In her words, Brian “was able to completely grow me from nothing to something.”
Using Tallo to See the Path Ahead
Brianna discovered Tallo around the same time, through a teacher in the Bulldog Manufacturing program who asked the class to create accounts and explore. She stuck with it.
For Brianna, Tallo became a way to explore careers by seeing what was possible. She looked at the companies on the platform and at what other people her age were working toward. “I was able to look on Tallo and see all the different companies and what people are doing,” she said, “to see where I am in relation to other people my age and where they’re going.”
She used that view as fuel. Seeing peers land internships and co-ops pushed her to take her own next step rather than wait. “I want to be the person that people are looking at, wanting to catch up to,” she said.
Tallo also helped her build skills and find opportunities. One thing she points to is how the platform pointed her toward certifications worth pursuing, connecting her to the credentials that matter in her field. And when it came to finding companies to reach out to, her approach was direct: keep asking until someone says yes.
“The least you can do is reach out. If they don’t get back to you, keep asking — somebody is going to get back to you. People want people to work for them, and they want to teach everybody else what they’re passionate about. You just have to find the right people.”
Leading the Way for the Next Group of Students
Brianna doesn’t just want opportunities for herself. She wants to widen the door for the people coming up behind her, especially other young women.
At RIT, she’s vice president of the ultimate Frisbee team and is working toward becoming lead machinist for the RIT Launch Initiative, the university’s rocketry group. She helped machine internal components for a rocket — including the nose cone and bulkheads — and then got to watch it fly. “Being able to watch the rocket take off was probably the best thing I’ve ever seen,” she said, “because I knew the parts I made were inside of it.”
In a field that’s still heavily male, she’s intentional about visibility. Brianna helped start a Women in STEM group and facilitated panels to connect younger students with women already working in manufacturing and engineering. “I wanted to bring in women who are doing what I want to do — things I didn’t know I could do — and show the kids younger than me that it’s possible.”
Image credit: Bulldog Manufacturing, a student run organization where Brianna was Vice President before graduating
Coming Full Circle at Moog
When Brianna chose RIT on a scholarship, she made a point of keeping her Moog connections warm, checking in periodically even after her plans shifted. That persistence paid off when a mechanical engineering internship opened up.
She’s approaching it the same way she’s approached everything else — ready to learn as much as she can. “There’s never going to be too much experience,” she said. Her goal is a full-time role at Moog after she graduates, and she’s already building toward it at school, where she’ll serve as a teaching assistant for a CNC machining class this fall.
Her Advice to Other Students
For students who love manufacturing and engineering but aren’t sure how to turn that into real opportunities, Brianna’s advice is straightforward: get any experience you can, whether it’s a high school class, a summer internship, an online course, or a tour of a manufacturing facility.
“Anybody can do anything they set their mind to. You just have to want to do it. It doesn’t matter how late or how early you’re starting. If you want to do it, you can accomplish it.”
Brianna’s story is a clear example of what’s possible when a program like Dream It Do It opens the door to connections and mentorship, and a platform like Tallo helps a student act on them — exploring careers, building skills, and finding the opportunities that turn a passion for building things into a career.
Special thanks to Brianna for sharing her journey, and to the Dream It Do It team for the partnership that helped make it possible.