After more than eight years in the U.S. Air Force, Shaina Kesti is preparing for a new mission: using engineering to help fellow veterans regain mobility and independence.
As Kesti looks toward her future, the Florida Polytechnic University freshman and computer engineering major is channeling an interest in robotics and a desire to help people who have lost limbs. Her own experience recovering from hip surgery helped shape that ambition.
Through physical therapy with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Kesti saw firsthand how providers helped veterans navigate recovery and the connections they built with their patients.
“I want to do something that helps people and is also close to home,” Kesti said. “Having been in the military, I think it just makes a lot of sense to me.”
Originally from Mount Vernon, Washington, Kesti’s Air Force career took her across the globe, including a tour in Germany with a special operations unit. Though her core duties focused on personnel records and computer systems, she also had a few unusual assignments such as learning to build an F-16 bomb and training alongside Pararescue airmen.
What she valued most, however, was helping other airmen.
“The job duties were OK, but I really liked it because you got to help everyone in the Air Force,” Kesti said.
When it came time for a medical discharge following hip surgery, she chose to move to Florida to be near her chosen family – a couple who took her under their wing when she was 21 and became like parents to her.
Her dad suggested Florida Poly after touring the University with one of his sons.
“I did my own tour and enjoyed the campus and the vibe,” Kesti said.
Returning to school after graduating from high school in 2014 meant learning to balance five classes instead of just one job. Her military experience working with technology helped ease the transition, but adjusting to the academic environment meant changing how she measured success.
“The military builds you for perfection,” Kesti said.
Her dad offered a different perspective: she was going to school to learn, not because she already knew everything. When a test or grade falls short of her expectations today, she focuses on what she can take away from the experience and how she can improve.
“You’re going to make mistakes, and that’s how you learn,” Kesti said.
As Veterans Day approaches, Kesti is reflecting on the people she served with, family members who served and friends who died in war.
“It is a day to remember the good, the bad and the ugly, but also remember the good that has come out of it,” she said.
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Lydia Guzmán
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