Austin Wheeler: Finding His Calling and Launching His Career

For Austin Wheeler, becoming an engineer isn't just a career - it's his calling.

"I think about what I want to do with my degree, and the determining factor is how I can make an impact," Austin said. "How can it mesh with the call for goodness that I get from my faith?"

A senior general engineering major, Austin has immersed himself in his work and devoted himself to finding purpose and meaning in it. His involvement with Campus Ministry has helped him deepen his faith and given him clarity and validation in his choice to pursue a career as an engineer.

Go Baby Go

In the general engineering program, Austin has worked on many projects, but being part of the Go Baby Go program last fall was the first time he realized how his work could have a real, positive impact on people.

"How do you take a car off the shelf and make it one that can be used by a kid in need, while also making it one that he wants to use?"

Austin, along with his partner Lauren Farabaugh, designed and built vehicle adaptations for a child with cerebral palsy who has limited use of his limbs and torso. The new seat and control system they installed allows him to use the car to get around while also allowing his parents to control it remotely. The team also added lights and decorations to make the car more fun and exciting.

"Meeting him for the first time, and the difference then versus how excited he was when he got to see the car, made it all worth it," Austin said. "The work you do as an engineer has a real impact on people. I feel called to engineering, and that is much more clarified by the Go Baby Go program."

Go for Launch

If you ask Austin, a job at NASA would easily make the "top three" list of career goals for most engineering majors. Although he is still unsure if that is where his path will lead, he is taking advantage of every opportunity.

When Austin started as a freshman at Saint Francis, he joined the Stratospheric Research Team and began participating in NASA-sponsored projects on campus. When Saint Francis joined the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, he was highly involved in building and troubleshooting payloads that were launched on weather balloons during both the annular eclipse in October 2023 and the total solar eclipse in April 2024. The NASA-sponsored effort allowed Austin and the rest of the team a way to study the effects of an eclipse on the Earth's upper atmosphere, using weather balloons as instrumentation platforms.

Since then, Austin attended the Scientific Ballooning Technologies Workshop in May 2025 and continued his work with NASA through the Solar Maximum launch campaign last year. Now, he is leading the design and mechanical development of the Autonomous Stratospheric Testbed for Radio Aiming (ASTRA), which will be included on a weather balloon launched by NASA's High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) program this September.

"It's basically a free ride for schools across the country to test higher flights than they'd be capable of on their own," Austin said of HASP.

Using what he has learned in the classroom, Austin has fully embraced the opportunities that have emerged from Saint Francis' participation in these nationwide projects. Spearheading the design and construction of equipment such as ASTRA, Austin is gaining valuable experience as both an engineer and a leader. His work, as well as his growth in faith, only affirms his vocation as an engineer.

Deeper into Faith

Austin was drawn to Campus Ministry as a freshman by a FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) missionary, but it was the joy he could see in other students living out their faith that really inspired him to delve deeper into his own.

"Religion has always been important to me, and if I could go back, I would still come here just for the faith-based culture," Austin said. "Being at SFU with these people has drawn me much deeper into my faith."

Through prayer groups and bible studies that foster discipleship and faith-based community, Austin continues to live a life with God at the center. He is a member of Sanctus, a men's group devoted to prayer, sacrifice, and accountability, and an altar server for Masses on campus. His spiritual advisor, Fr. Jason Wooleyhan, provides Austin with both spiritual and personal guidance and encourages him to answer God's calling for his life.

"Time spent in prayer about what God is calling me to do, and my growth in faith, clarifies my view for my life," Austin said.

Meant to Be

While Austin is still trying to discern exactly where his career as an engineer will take him, he remains determined to gain as much experience as possible before he graduates next May.

He worked as a summer engineering intern at Curry Supply Company, a commercial truck manufacturer in Altoona, PA. He also continues to work each summer in the agricultural equipment division at McLanahan Corporation in Hollidaysburg, PA, a manufacturer of equipment for the aggregates, dairy, and mining industries. While on campus, he works as the machine shop student supervisor for the general engineering classes.

It is through prayer and reflection that Austin has found his calling, but it is through hard work and determination that he continues to find success in his field. It is Saint Francis University that has allowed him to prioritize both.

"I didn't even know what college I wanted to go to, but SFU has helped to clarify that this is the place I am meant to be," Austin said. "I've grown on such a personal level, both personally and spiritually, and I can't imagine myself not being here. It's life-changing."

The Power of "And"

At Saint Francis University, we encourage our students to embrace the power of "and." Every new skill, talent, and challenge they explore here under guidance builds a foundation for something greater. It's through blending passions, disciplines, and experiences that they become someone they are uniquely called to be.

Find your "and" at Saint Francis University:

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