When Kian Zarbaf applied to Georgia Tech, he laid out 3 goals in his application essay: join the Yang Aero Maker Space, do research in the Ben T. Zinn Combustion Lab, and find an internship at a big space company such as Blue Origin or SpaceX.

Check. Check. And check.

Zarbaf admits he didn’t necessarily keep track of those goals and intentionally set out to achieve them. It just turns out he knew pretty well what he wanted to accomplish in college when he was just 18 years old.

Four years later, Zarbaf is going even further. He’s headed back to his home state of Florida in the new year to work at SpaceX, where he’ll play a key role in the launches that send satellites, cargo, and astronauts to space.

As usual, Zarbaf is right where the action is.

“I always want to be where it’s booming,” said Zarbaf, a College of Engineering Clark Scholar who is finishing his aerospace engineering degree this fall. “It’s kind of stressful, but I like the commotion.”

Get the full story on the College of Engineering website.