Alumnus Henry Calle returns to CCNY to share Boeing career journey

Alumnus Henry Calle journeyed from Ecuador to the United States at 16 years old with the dream of pursuing higher education but had to work to help his parents. It was a chance meeting with a supermarket owner that led Calle to enroll at The City College of New York and pursue a degree in electrical engineering.

“Paul Fernandez’s words changed my life at 16 when he told me to register for school and start working part-time at his Mulberry Street supermarket,” said Calle, Class of 2004, who continued to work for the supermarket owner throughout his CCNY college career.

After graduating from CCNY in 2004, Calle got the opportunity to interview with Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, defense, space and security systems and service provider of aftermarket support. It just so happened that he also had a love for aviation, which started when his father gifted him a remote-control toy airplane when he was just a boy.

His fascination for aviation secured him a job with Boeing, where he’s worked for 16 years and is now an electrical engineering manager for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Environmental Control Systems Design Center.

“My role at Boeing requires the ability to be very adaptable and be able to learn new technical skills and systems, have strong communication skills and be a leader, innovator and collaborator,” said Calle, who received a master’s degree in technical management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. “My education at CCNY prepared me for a career at Boeing by teaching me how to be adaptable and be a quick learner; the electrical engineering curriculum at CCNY gave me the opportunity to work on practical projects and assignments, and I learned how to communicate effectively as well as used tools to solve engineering problems.”

Calle is back at CCNY on Thursday, March 3 to chat with City College students about his career at Boeing from 12-4 p.m. at the Career Fair.

About the City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Emsi puts at $1.9 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 16,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.

Ashley Arocho
p: 212-650-6460
e: aarocho@ccny.cuny.edu