Indy Standard

Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) has launched the IPS Alumni Spotlight, a program to celebrate and share the journeys of its graduates. Cristina Boone, a 2000 graduate from Northwest High School, recently shared her story with IPS.

Cristina began her engineering studies at IUPUI before transferring to Purdue University, where she earned a Bachelor’s in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in 2005. Her career started in Texas with L-3 Harris, focusing on military aircraft designs. In 2015, she moved to Tennessee to work for Merrick & Company on nuclear glovebox design projects. She later worked as a service engineer at StandardAero before joining Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Second Target Station Project in 2020.

Reflecting on her time at IPS, Cristina noted that "The magnet program at Northwest High School provided me with the opportunity to participate in an internship during my senior year." This experience helped launch her engineering career.

She recalled entering the IPS system at Shortridge Middle School after moving from Chicago: "My language arts teacher Mrs. Hurlbut took notice of my inability to properly communicate and enrolled me in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program."

Since graduating from IPS, Cristina has been motivated to engage in outreach initiatives: "I have been fortunate to have a rewarding career and want to encourage our youth to pursue STEM professions."

Cristina emphasizes proactivity: "Opportunities won’t come looking for you. You need to go out and look for them." She also encourages students: "With hard work and determination, they can accomplish anything they put their mind to."

Cristina remains connected with IPS by visiting schools like Arsenal Technical High School, sharing her experiences with current students.