Engineering Grad's Job Takes Off at Lockheed Martin

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Posted on September 2, 2022

Thomas Becnel

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#MyFirstJob is a series focused on University of South Alabama graduates who are beginning their careers.

At Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, Madison Bomeke works on an engineering team that offers technical support for F-35 fighter jets.

鈥淲e analyze problems and help people come up with solutions,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 a bird strike, corrosion, or some other issue, they send us photos and we give them advice on how to fix it.鈥�

Bomeke, a 22-year-old engineering graduate from the University of South Alabama, spent her first few weeks at Lockheed Martin getting used to a work schedule of 10-hour days, Mondays through Thursdays. She usually gets up at 6 a.m. and arrives at work by 7.

鈥淭hat was a huge adjustment,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I get Fridays off, so I have a three-day weekend every week.鈥�

Bomeke鈥檚 mom helped her move from Alabama to Texas. She found an apartment near the Interstate 280 loop in Fort Worth. Her cats are named for an airplane (Piper) and a space program (Apollo).

Though many of her colleagues work from home, Bomeke has been going into the office for orientation and training. Security is high, but the workplace is informal.

鈥淚t鈥檚 business casual 鈥� I see a lot of people wearing jeans and cowboy boots,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 work with 95 percent men, but I鈥檓 used to that. I have three lead managers and one is a woman. She鈥檚 very smart. I aspire to be her one day.鈥�

While studying mechanical engineering at South, Bomeke鈥檚 experience included internships with Airbus in Mobile and Amazon in Reno, Nevada. On campus, she worked with Dr. Carlos Montalvo and a team of students in designing radio-controlled aircraft for a national Design/Build/Fly competition.

Her mentor congratulated Bomeke after graduation from South this spring.

鈥淒r. Montalvo told me he was proud of me,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e said he would be talking about me to his classes for years to come.鈥�

Society of Women Engineers

Bomeke grew up in Fairhope, Alabama, and crossed Mobile Bay for college at South. She studied mechanical engineering, participated in student groups, and did her summer internships. 

Joining the Society of Women Engineers helped her land those internships and a job offer from Lockheed Martin.

鈥淏usinesses are looking to diversify,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think more women need to put themselves out there.鈥�

From Mondays through Thursdays in Fort Worth, Bomeke takes calls from military bases around the world. Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Project support engineering is all about trouble shooting, problem solving and applied science.

鈥淢y team uses a lot of what we learned in school,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have all the data laid out. You just have to know if you鈥檝e got the right answer.鈥�

She works in a traditional office park, though she has toured the main assembly plant where F-35 fighters are assembled.

鈥淭he entire site is huge,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how many buildings there are, but the assembly line is at least a mile long.鈥�

Bomeke expected to work in a cubicle, surrounded by fellow engineers, only to discover that many of her colleagues work from home. This does make it easier to find a parking space. And everyone is used to remote collaborations. 

鈥淲e usually Skype, so it鈥檚 easy to get on a call,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he people who are training me are in the office, so it鈥檚 nice to have that face-to-face contact.鈥�

She hasn鈥檛 had time to explore much of north Texas, even with three-day weekends. She鈥檚 seen enough traffic to avoid driving to Dallas. 

In the future, Bomeke is interested in going to graduate school. She might study business management or system engineering while working at Lockheed Martin.

鈥淭hey encourage you to branch out,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey will push for you, if you want it, if you want to explore your options.鈥�

Right now, she isn鈥檛 thinking that far ahead. She鈥檚 just getting started. Though she does have plans for one of her first paychecks.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to splurge on some cowboy boots,鈥� Bomeke said, laughing. 鈥淚鈥檓 in Texas, I鈥檝e always wanted a pair, and this is the place to wear them.鈥�

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