Blake Dee | Engineering Mentor for Students

The Bar

your portfolio should lead

Curiosity stands out.

Most students don't pursue ideas of their own because they don't believe they have the time, knowledge, or ability to bring them to life. But surprisingly, the students that do chase their ideas end up ahead and differentiated, because their work is authentic, and because they're excited to talk about them.

But their hesitation is understandable: engineering is hard, because it's difficult to know what you don't know. That makes it easy to get stuck for weeks on the wrong problems, using the wrong tools, and burning momentum and excitement in the process.

The right mentor can change that. They can spot hidden friction, introduce new solution spaces, and provide the structure needed to start and finish projects. More broadly, the impact can extend beyond any one project: a great mentor can raise a student's standards, strengthen their conviction, and turn engineering into a process of intellectual discovery.

Is there an engineering school or internship you've been eyeing? Give yourself a competitive advantage by building the projects you've always wanted to pursue, with the technical guidance, support, and accountability to make it happen.

Book a call

Build your way in

Rapid Autonomous Intervention Vehicle

Senior capstone project — an autonomous vehicle that homes on a target by detecting a strobe light, then hands off to operator control for precision maneuvering.

Learn core project skills

—Flagging and inspiring high-signal technical projects
—Turning a vague idea into concrete requirements and a realistic timeline
—Sourcing parts and building a bill of materials on a student budget
—Deriving rigorous requirements, down to the voltages, that would solve your problem
—Running scrappy, low-fidelity tests to quickly de-risk designs
—Building efficient, scalable CAD and electronics that tolerate design changes
—Rapidly researching existing designs to discover requirements
—Compressing problems into physics models, equations, and block diagrams
—Taking organized, detailed notes
—Having a bias for action

Some projects of mine

N-Class Hybrid Rockets

Propulsion lead for UCLA Rocket Project's Prometheus team — designed and test-fired five N-class SRAD hybrid engines, contributing to a 15,000 ft apogee (1.5× the prior collegiate record).

People I've helped

"Blake was an exceptional tutor for both Andrew and Serena. . . . He didn't just help them get through homework—he made sure they understood the concepts and encouraged them to think critically and solve problems on their own. If they were struggling with a concept, he would patiently explain it in different ways until it clicked. . . . He created a positive, encouraging learning environment where they felt comfortable asking questions and making mistakes. . . . I have no doubt he will bring those same qualities to his engineering mentorship program."

C. Sutherland

Parent

"I worked with Blake during a university robotics capstone project to build a thrust-vector-controlled drone. He led much of the early design and mechanical integration, consistently finding inventive solutions to the physical and logistical problems we encountered. His resourcefulness with lab equipment, 3D printing, and rapid prototyping helped turn an ambitious concept into a system we could build and test. Just as importantly, he explained his reasoning clearly, helping our team approach open-ended design problems with greater clarity and confidence."

Austin D'Acquisto

Mechanical Engineer

"When I started working with Blake on our six-month capstone project, I was taken aback by his constant use of the question 'Why?' Initially, every idea I presented was met with the word. But I quickly realized that this is what distinguishes Blake as such a strong, well-rounded engineer: 'Why?' isn't a sign of doubt or distrust—it reflects his genuine curiosity and drive to create the best solution. Blake quickly proved himself to be a strong leader, communicator, and problem solver. He took the time to fully justify decisions, plan holistic procedures, and organize each step along the way. . . . Blake is a strong engineer with meticulous attention to detail and a genuine passion for understanding."