Erica Castillo is an undergraduate student of the Aerospace Program in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA).

Currently carrying a 4.0 grade point average, Erica is a diligent, motivated and responsible student.  One of her professors describes her as one of the best, if not the best student he has taught in his last twenty years of teaching.  Erica was a student in his “Solid Mechanics” and “Aerospace Structure Statics” courses, in which the average class score was 67%.  Erica was the only student in the courses to receive a perfect score; the only student in his more than twenty years of teaching the course to do so.  UTA also acknowledges her academic achievements, recognizing her as a UTA University Scholar since 2008.

Erica is also involved in many campus activities.  As a freshman she was a member of the Freshman Leaders on Campus organization.  She is also a member of the UTA Honors College, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Mathematical Association of America and the Debes Creer En Ti non-profit organization. 

At UTA Erica has been involved in research projects as well.  She is currently at the Advance Sensor Technology Lab working on lap joint crack detection process with the use of wireless interrogation passive antenna sensors.  She was also involved in physics research and has worked at the UTA Atlas Computing Center. 

Erica plans on attending graduate school pursuing a degree in either aerospace engineering or physics.  Upon graduation, Erica would like to work for a university as a professor and continue with research projects.   

Erica is a 2011 HENAAC-NASA Johnson Space Center scholarship recipient.