Chris Greenstone's family moved around quite a lot when he was growing up — Sitka, Alaska; Gallup, N.M.; and Phoenix and Bitter Springs, Ariz.; among other places. But of all those moves, Greenstone calls Bitter Springs home. His family has lived in this small village on the Navajo Nation for many generations.
For most of his life, Greenstone was raised in a single-parent household. “I saw my mom go through a lot raising my four siblings and me on her own,” he says. “She worked multiple jobs and sold jewelry on the roadside so that we had food in our stomachs, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our heads.” Greenstone recalls that she never gave up and put every hour in her day to use. “She’s the largest influence on my path, and her actions taught me to finish what I start no matter the circumstance,” he says.
Another important influence has been his older brother Jeremy. “He’s a hard worker,” says Greenstone. “He works long hours at his job site and takes on many roles with a positive attitude. He goes home every day to his wife and daughter, and he’s the best male role model I could ever ask for.”
When Greenstone was in high school, many of his peers planned to go into a trade or join the military. He strongly considered those choices as well, because he didn’t see anyone close to him go to college and graduate with a four-year degree. “I thought college was farfetched,” he recalls. “I always wanted to become an engineer, but I didn’t think it was possible at the time.”
But Greenstone did try some courses at Coconino Community College to see if going for a degree was for him. He finished his first year strong and went on to earn an associate of science degree. “My mom always told me to keep going and see where education would take me,”he says. “But I did not think attending a university would be possible, given the low- income circumstances I grew up with.”
Still, Greenstone transferred to Northern Arizona University and majored in mechanical engineering. “I wanted to work with something that involved technical knowledge, math, and science,” he says. “I viewed any engineering field as challenging, and I wanted to take up the challenge and finish something I had a strong desire to complete, despite my circumstances.”
Just staying in college was a challenge in itself. Greenstone says there were times when he didn’t have a roof over his head or even regular meals. “My car broke down multiple times and I had to figure out how to fix it,” he recalls. “Then I looked at my little sister, nephews, and nieces, and I realized that they need a new role model to finish college with a four-year degree. I had to show them that it’s possible to finish. I had to show them that anyone could do it—no matter the circumstances.”
He also got a boost from his involvement in AISES and served as a Regional Student Representative, and his coursework and teachers kept him going.“A dynamics course gave me the extra push to learn and apply knowledge that pertains to my field,” he says. “Also, the professor gave a speech about how we will someday achieve what we want and we won’t have to worry as much financially once we graduate. I give that credit to Dr. Zachary Lerner.”
It was an AISES conference that inspired Greenstone to pursue his professional path. “I became interested in aircraft engineering when I attended my first AISES National Conference in Minneapolis in 2016,” he says. “I saw companies like GE Aviation and The Boeing Company at the Career Fair, and I knew from there that I want to work with aircraft. I am now transitioning to the role of liaison engineer at The Boeing Company.”
