MAE alumnus Van Velsor enjoys mentorship role with current students

Trey Van Velsor is shown during his time as an aerospace engineering major. Van Velsor graduated in May 2023 and now works at Tinker Air Force Base as an

MAE alumnus Van Velsor enjoys mentorship role with current students

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | [email protected]

Trey Van Velsor is a May 2023 graduate from Oklahoma State University's College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. He graduated with a degree in aerospace engineering and works at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City repairing jet engines for field use.  

He started with Tinker after graduation and spent time as an undergraduate summer research intern with the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education at OSU before graduating. 

Although a recent graduate, Van Velsor desired to get involved with his alma mater as soon as he could. He has gained valuable experience working as an aerospace engineer and has recently become a mentor to CEAT students through the Aerospace Propulsion Outreach Program. 

APOP provides mentors to college engineering students who are set to enter the workforce through the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center.  

Meeting regularly with Dr. Kurt Rouser's MAE students, he now has the opportunity to share his knowledge, bridging the gap between what students learn in the classroom and what professionals learn from experience in the field.  

"It's an honor to be able to be a mentor for my alma mater," Van Velsor said. "Dr. Rouser and the aerospace staff gave so much time and energy to make sure that I and others had the knowledge to go out and work effectively in the field. The thought that I can now donate my time and energy to the same cause just makes me happy." 

Trey Van Velsor

Van Velsor said CEAT students have become adept at being creative and getting logical ideas on paper. Students can then work with mentors like him on implementing those designs into a functional jet engine.  

Being able to learn from these mentors serves as a valuable educational experience, especially as students are set to enter the engineering field.  

"This is such a pivotal time for engineering students, and it is so important that there are as many people as possible trying to share their knowledge with students," Van Velsor said. "As an Air Force employee, that is what I want to do now, transfer my knowledge to these students. It is vital that the students take these lessons to heart, and I am just honored to be a cog in the wheel of their knowledge, the same as many being cogs in the wheel of my knowledge." 

He said Rouser is an inspiration to all MAE students and was his inspiration for pursuing a career path in propulsion.  

"I know many students, me included, who sought jobs in propulsion due to Dr. Rouser instilling a love of propulsion in his students," Van Velsor said. "I'm happy to say on the other side of the coin in my professional career, it's the exact same way. I never realized that part of what made him a great professor is that he constantly treated us like we were professionals." 

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