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Christina Trussell is a harness design engineer at Blue Origin and a recipient of the IPC Rising Star Award. Since she was a young child, she wanted to fly through the skies. In this interview, she talks about her dreams and what it’s like to work in the electronics industry.
Patty Goldman: What attracted you to this industry and what do you find most exciting?
Christina Trussell: I fell into the electronics industry out of my love for aviation. When I was a small child, my father took me to watch the Blue Angels fly in Seattle one summer. I remember being on his shoulders looking up at the sky and saying, "I want to do that when I grow up, Daddy!" Ever since that day, I was determined to do whatever it took to be a part of making that happen. After high school I joined the Navy and that meant becoming an Avionics Electronics Technician. After the Navy, it was college and fate fell into place directing me towards the electronics industry.
Goldman: What do you hope to achieve in your career?
Trussell: I hope to see the cable harnesses that I design through to production and ultimately installed on a vehicle that will make an impact on history in the aerospace industry.
Goldman: Are there any special mentors who have helped you? If so, what was most impactful?
Trussell: Garry McGuire has been my most impactful mentor in this industry. He has been able to give me technical answers to all of my insane "why do we do it this way" type questions over the years.
Goldman: What advice would you share with others?
Trussell: Like any career, working in the electronics industry is going to have its good days and its hard days. Just don’t forget your passion for the industry and know that even the hard days will not last forever.
Goldman: What technologies have you most excited?
Trussell: The advances that electronics have brought to the space industry for sure. I am very excited to see where this brings us in the next decade!
Goldman: How has IPC helped you?
Trussell: The thing IPC has helped me with the most is opening my eyes to why standards are the way that they are. Being on committees, I get to be a part of the discussion that leads to impactful acceptance of standard changes and really hear the discussion for and against every change.
Goldman: How would you like to be involved in IPC going forward?
Trussell: I would like to continue to support the IPC committees that impact the cable harness industry from a leadership perspective.
Goldman: Thank you, Christina. I wish you well.
This conversation originally appeared in the 2023 Show & Tell Magazine.
