From South Korea to Apple, engineering alumna's career path forged at Abington

ABINGTON, Pa. — When Jung Eun Park arrived in the United States from South Korea, she faced a daunting challenge: starting college in a new country while mastering the language. Her first stop was Penn State Abington, a close-knit campus community that provided the support and guidance she needed to distinguish herself through research, leadership and campus involvement. 

“Abington is small so the professors really get to know you. It made it easier to get involved and built my confidence and a foundation for the future that I never imagined I could have,” the aerospace engineering alum said. 

She discovered opportunities to grow academically and personally at Abington. Park immersed herself in the undergraduate research program or ACURA, presented at her first symposium, and developed skills that strengthened her graduate school applications. She joined the University’s Multi-Campus Research Experience for Undergraduates, which connected her with other Penn State campuses. 

Hands-on research guided by faculty mentor Masataka Okutsu, associate professor of engineering, shaped Park’s interests and gave her tangible experiences to make her graduate school applications more robust.  

“I loved my research. It was very hands on,” she said. “We built underwater drones in the campus pond. There was a study of Martian concrete. We were literally mixing concrete in the lab. It was like cooking with a recipe. It taught me how to turn ideas into real systems. The projects gave me a broader sense of structures and materials, and that’s the path I wound up taking."

She credits Okutsu and Olga Moskaleva, the Penn State Global engagement coordinator at Abington, for helping her develop the skills to succeed. 

“The people I met at Abington gave me confidence and extra support,” said Park, who became an orientation leader. “The first week I worked in Olga’s office, I was calling vendors for a study-abroad event, and I’d only been speaking English full time for three months. That gentle push helped me step outside my comfort zone.” 

These experiences set the stage for her to transition to Penn State's University Park campus, where she completed her Schreyer Honors College thesis under Namiko Yamamoto, associate professor of engineering, before graduating in 2021. 

Prepared for excellence, she enrolled at Stanford University, where she continued her research, turning models into real hardware, collaborating with peers, and learning persistence and adaptability in a high-pressure environment. Park collaborated with experts at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, too, and earned her master’s degree in 2024. 

She then secured her first job at the San Francisco site of Zipline, which designs, manufactures and operates autonomous drone delivery systems.  

“The stakes were real, the deadlines were intense, and failure could have consequences,” she said. “I learned to be adaptable, take initiative, and work across functions.” 

Today, Park works as a hardware test or reliability engineer at Apple. She thrives in the collaborative, detail-oriented culture. 

"There's a lot of beauty working on all the details," she said.

Reflecting on her journey, Park emphasized the role Abington played in her career trajectory.  

“The support, opportunities and mentors at Abington created my foundation. I learned that persistence, adaptability and building relationships matter as much as technical skills,” she said. 

That’s the Abington Experience — the campus to career roadmap focused on four key areas, including research with faculty — in action. 

She recently returned to Abington to receive a young alumni achievement award, and she shared advice with students — including members of the women in engineering club. 

“Don’t overthink things. Anything you put effort into will pay off. Find your people, develop your social skills — you can’t engineer alone — and be willing to take risks,” Park said. 

About Penn State Abington 

Penn State Abington, home to nearly 3,000 students and just minutes from Philadelphia, offers 26 four-year majors and 14 NCAA Division III athletics teams. The Abington Experience launches students from campus to career through internships, leadership development, short-term academic travel, and faculty-led research. Penn State Abington — where the city’s energy meets the best of the suburbs.