For Holden Kingrey, earning an aerospace engineering degree from the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma State University meant more than excelling in the classroom.

Kingrey, from Bend, Oregon, spent time in the U.S. Navy before enrolling at OSU. At 27, he earned his degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering with a 3.9 GPA while working at American Airlines in Tulsa and raising two young children.

Kingrey spent four years in the Navy as an aviation electrician’s mate, working on all instrumentation, navigation, electrical and power-generating systems on P-8A Poseidon aircraft. He was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, and Whidbey Island, Washington, for two years each and then deployed to Misawa, Japan, before separating from the Navy.

While serving in the military, he completed online courses through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the University of Colorado to complete general education credits. His path to Stillwater began when a childhood friend, an OSU graduate from the School of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, recommended OSU to Kingrey.

“After looking more into it, I felt that my family and I would really enjoy Oklahoma and OSU provided some great opportunities for my engineering degree,” Kingrey said.

Kingrey had always been interested in engineering, enjoying the science and math classes he took in high school, but had not yet discovered which field of engineering he wanted to pursue.

In high school, he took part in an engineering rotation with other students from his hometown, where they got a firsthand look at engineering firms in Bend, OR. After a visit to an aerospace engineering firm, Kingrey immediately knew that’s what he wanted to pursue.

“My senior year came, and I ended up talking to a Navy recruiter at school,” Kingrey said. “I knew I wanted to work toward aerospace engineering, but after talking to the recruiter, I decided to join to gain hands-on experience working on aircraft to help better understand different aspects of aviation.”

He leaned into that hands-on experience when he started working for American Airlines in January 2024 as a base support engineer, collaborating with maintenance technicians on damage or repairs that exceeded the allowable limits. As damage was found, he would work with technicians to run analysis and design repair instructions or work with Boeing on repair instructions and approvals.

He then worked as a tooling engineer, documenting any tool or piece of equipment requested by aircraft technicians. He designed different lifting beams for engines, fuel hose adapters, crimping tools and protective covers, among others.

He worked full-time from January to August 2024, as well as the summer of 2025. During the fall and spring semesters, he worked part-time, commuting to Tulsa from Stillwater while he continued his coursework at OSU.

The days he worked in Tulsa saw him spend around three hours a day in the car, all while balancing school, work and family life. His daughter, Emarie, was born in February 2024 and his son, Liam, was born in November 2025.

"I was waking up early to get to work and staying up late to finish school,” Kingrey said. “With work and the school workload, it kept me busy and it was hard to balance, but I managed to do it and kept some free time for my family.

“The experience of being a student and a father really can only be described with one word … hectic. I am just grateful to have a loving wife helping so much with the kids while I worked and finished my engineering courses.”

Kingrey balanced an engineering curriculum with real-life responsibilities, persevering through long days and tough challenges to finish what he started, true to the Cowboy Code.

“I really enjoyed my time as a student,” Kingrey said. “I love learning new things and made some great friends along the way. There really isn’t anything that I would change, and I am grateful for the experience that I had.”