Lavant Wooten:  

Paramount HS Class of '81. Attended UCLA and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in '86. While I was there, I was President of the UCLA Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, was on the helmet crew for Rally Committee (the large helmet on the football field), and was treasurer of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Did some grad school at CSULB, but didn't finish (two classes and a thesis). Worked for Rockwell International's Space Program from '86 - '98 in Downey, CA, then worked for Boeing in Huntington Beach on the Shuttle Program from '98 - '01. Was able to climb around the Shuttles, mainly Endeavor, Columbia, and Discovery, so sat in the Crew Cabin and walked in the payload bay. Left Boeing when I declined to move to Houston or Florida, and was hired by the FAA in Engineering Services as part of the Infrastructure Platform. We design and oversee construction projects that include Air Traffic Towers (I was on staff for the Towers at Phoenix, North Las Vegas, and the Grand Canyon), and smaller projects involving power upgrades, lightning protection, and HVAC of FAA sites (such as long range radars and communication sites) in the Western Service Area, which includes the States of California, Nevada, Arizona, and all the Pacific Islands (Hawaii, Guam, Americ...Expand for more