Her Campus UConn
STEM CREATOR XYLA FOXLIN ENGINEERED THE CAREER OF HER DREAMS
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Influencer Xyla Foxlin’s Passion for Mechatronics and Art
Scrolling through influencer Xyla Foxlin’s social media pages, it’s clear she absolutely loves what she does. Her feeds — followed by hundreds of thousands of fans — are dedicated to her work as a mechatronics engineer, pilot, and artist. But although Foxlin was interested in the STEM world from a young age, it wasn’t initially part of her career path. “I was really passionate about robotics [in high school], but there were no other girls on the robotics team,” she tells Her Campus. “Being an engineer had never really crossed my mind as a possible future.”
College Journey and Shift to Engineering
When the time came for Foxlin to think about college, she applied to more than 20 schools. “I was coming from an immigrant community where that was pretty normal. Also, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” she says. “So I applied to school for marketing and psychology, or even just no major.” Eventually, Foxlin was able to come to a decision thanks to some insight from her friends. “I was looking at five schools that I had gotten into and half of them didn’t have engineering programs. I was talking about this to my friends and they were like, ‘Why would you go there? It doesn’t have an engineering program.’ And I was like, ‘Why would I do engineering?’ and they were like, ‘That’s all you care about.’”
That’s how Foxlin came to attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, as an engineering student. It was there that she not only nurtured her love for engineering, but also developed her affinity toward mentorship and community. “My freshman year, this senior really took me under her wing,” Foxlin says. “She was really into fostering this ‘women in technology’ environment … I had the protection of this person who made sure that there was always space for me.” As Foxlin progressed through her studies, it was then her turn to teach and lead other students, something she found gratifying. “I think that learning to develop skills for yourself is one thing, but learning to develop skills that you can hand them off to others not only solidifies those skills for you so much more, but also is so much more rewarding,” she says.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Navigating Career Challenges and Turning to Social Media
Foxlin graduated in 2019; by the beginning of 2020, she was running a nonprofit for young women in STEM and had a job lined up to start April. But then came Covid lockdowns, and the job offer was pulled. She remembers thinking, “OK, there is no job market right now. I need to figure something out.” As many did during that time, she turned to social media. “My first YouTube video did really well, so I got monetized really quickly, and my second YouTube video was sponsored,” Foxlin says. “So I got really really lucky.”
On her channels, Foxlin shares her engineering skills with her audience while incorporating her hobbies such as music, woodworking, and fashion. Most recently, she shared a video of how she made a dress out of wood. “I love clothing. I think it’s such a deeply personal form of art,” she says. “All of the pieces I’ve made have been extremely feminine, and I think when you’re carving a space for yourself in this incredibly male-dominated field, it can feel really good to represent yourself the way that you want to be represented.”
Advocacy for Mental Health in Aviation
She’s also a passionate advocate for mental health in the aviation space (because yes, in addition to building planes, she also flies them). In a 2025 video titled “The FAA is in Crisis,” Foxlin spoke out against the Federal Aviation Administration’s mental health policies that cause pilots to avoid getting help. It’s something she feels strongly about due to her own fight to regain her clearance to fly after seeking therapy — but also because she wants better for others. “Sometimes I get this feeling that it’s just something I have to do because it’s the right thing to do,” she says. “I’ve watched my friends suffer. I’ve watched marriages fall apart and careers fall apart all because pilots I knew couldn’t go get help and it’s so unbelievably avoidable.” Foxlin says it was the silence around this topic that made her create the video. “I was just like, ‘Why is no one saying anything? Why is no one doing anything?’ and then looking around realizing that no one is saying anything because everyone is scared and also nobody wants to admit that they’re scared. So as I was getting ready to post that video, I just remember thinking it doesn’t matter what the outcome for myself ends up being. Someone has to say something, and looking around the world, I’m probably one of the best positioned people to say it.”
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Thanks to her bravery, Foxlin got the all-clear to fly again in 2025 — and not only that, but her advocacy helped get the Mental Health in Aviation Act passed through the U.S. House; it is currently with the Senate.
Future Aspirations
At 29, Foxlin has already accomplished so much. Looking to the years ahead, her aspirations are pretty simple: continue growing her platforms — but, above all, stay creative and curious. “My channel is just an excuse for me to keep learning.”
career
exclusive
HC AANHPI Month 2026
Her Campus Dream Jobs
work
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills