Engineered in Maroon: CSE senior Satcher takes aim at commercial flying

By Chris Whitaker

The skies are calling Steven Satcher.

The Mississippi State computer science senior graduates in December, but instead of coding, he will be working toward a career as an airline pilot.

“Flying is just so much fun to me,” said Satcher, of Huntsville, Alabama. “CSE is a good backup degree to have, but my ultimate goal right now is to fly for the airlines.”

Satcher grew up around airplanes, with his father serving in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years. When Satcher was a baby, the family lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and his dad commuted to Columbus Air Force Base, where he served as an instructor pilot.

He got used to visiting his grandparents in Texas by a Cessna R182 Skylane RG. His first flight came when he was only a month old.

“I actually have a picture on my phone of baby me in the back of the airplane in a car seat of this flight,” Satcher said.

He earned his private pilot’s license in 2022 and his instrument rating for flying in bad weather in 2023. Then, in August 2025, he earned his commercial license that allows him to fly passengers and cargo for payment. His father also taught him and his brother to fly, starting with their initial training.

Steven Satcher (Graphic by Kristen Polk)

“Never found out how great of a career it would be until I got my license,” Satcher said. “I was hooked from my first training flight. I actually used to be somewhat afraid of flying before I started training, when my younger brother and I were relegated to the back seat flying to Texas. It was only after getting behind the controls did it really click.”

Steven Satcher (Graphic by Kristen Polk)

Satcher started at the University of Memphis in fall 2021 before he transferred to MSU in fall 2024. He began as a finance major, but a programming class got him interested in computer science, even though he doesn’t like coding. A discrete math class at Memphis sold him on the field.

“It’s just an interesting mix of computer science topics with math, dealing with discrete rather than continuous structures, which is analogous to computers as everything in computing is essentially built around on-off switches,” Satcher said.

Satcher is one of six computer science and engineering students who serve as Ambassadors for the Bagley College of Engineering. Bagley Ambassadors are undergraduate students who help prospective engineering students through campus visits, preview days and Admitted Students Day, a spring event for admitted freshmen and transfer students.

He joined the Ambassadors in fall 2024 following a pitch from fellow senior Sarah Beth Usey during one of his CSE classes.

“Sounded like a great way to get involved and expand my circle,” Satcher said. “I couldn’t think of a better organization to have poured my time into. State is a perfect blend of SEC environment, reasonable-sized student body and excellent academics.

“They say (engineering) is difficult—and they’re right—but it’s just a question of how bad you want it.”

Marleigh Robinson, Ambassadors advisor and assistant director of enrollment, events and outreach, said Satcher has been a great example of how an Ambassador should lead.

“Steven always volunteers, arrives on time and brings a good attitude,” she said. “When we needed a student voice for the counselor brunch in Huntsville, he stepped up and did a great job on the panel. We’re lucky to have him representing the Bagley College of Engineering, and we will miss him when he graduates.”

Upon graduation, Satcher plans to become a certified flight instructor and then obtain an airline transport pilot certificate. He must log at least 1,500 hours of total flight time, including cross-country and night flying, and earn a specific type rating for the make and model of the airplane he would fly.

What he loves most about flying starts the moment the plane begins to roll.

“As soon as the power is pushed forward on the takeoff roll, everything I was worried about that isn’t flying stays on the ground,” Satcher said. “Sometimes it’s the satisfaction of doing something difficult proficiently. I just want to be somebody other people like flying with.”

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is online at www.cse.msstate.edu and can be found on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.

The Bagley College of Engineering is online at www.bagley.msstate.edu and can be found on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube at @msuengineering.

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