Elias Wilson (’04, Aerospace Engineering)

Chief Technology Officer, Exquadrum Inc.

BS Aerospace Engineering, Cal Poly Pomona, 2004

When Elias Wilson was in high school, his family moved to Palmdale, California where he found himself surrounded by aerospace giants—Lockheed, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman. Military airplanes constantly flew in and out of the area and local newspapers covered all the rocket tests out at Edward Airforce Base. He was surrounded by aerospace, and he loved what he saw. While he had a small artistic inclination—he always wanted to be a photographer—his good photographer friend told Wilson he wasn’t very good at it. So, aerospace engineering it was at Cal Poly Pomona.

By the time he was enrolled, he was already married with a daughter and another child on the way. This, with the long commute from Palmdale, meant time was scarce to study. Further, while Wilson had no problem understanding the program’s materials and completing assignments, tests made him anxious, so he struggled when it mattered most for his grades.

But ultimately, he got through it with a degree in hand. He started as an engineer at Exquadrum, an aerospace company that designs, fabricates and tests complex satellite thrusters. Over time, he proved himself time and time again until he became the chief technology officer for the company.

He made some mistakes getting here—in one case, a component he helped create failed right in front of the customer—but he encourages grace in all things. “Be kind and forgiving of yourself and those you work with,” Wilson says. “Don’t be afraid of making errors and being wrong. When you are wrong be honest and admit it. You likely aren’t the smartest or dumbest person in the room. Treat technicians, machinists, and office staff with respect and solicit their advice. Look for and point out solutions instead of problems.”