Mechanical Engineering major and AFROTC member Teddy Neururer poses for portraits at the Anderson Student Center on May 12, 2025, in St. Paul.
Mark Brown/University of St. Thomas

Tommie Takes Flight: Engineering Grad Earns Commission in U.S. Air Force

Teddy Neururer ’25 has long been obsessed with figuring out how things work. Ever since the recent Tommie grad was a child, he’s loved taking things apart – everything from toys to cars – and putting them back together again.

He’ll soon put all that tinkering to use with the United States Air Force, leading a team of researchers working to develop critical technologies – everything from aircraft weapons systems to flight operations.

“I knew I wanted to be an engineer, and I’ve always had a deep respect for military service,” said Neururer, whose family has a long history of service. His grandfather served in the Air Force, and his sister is currently deployed overseas as an armament specialist. “When I discovered the ROTC program in high school, everything just fell into place.”

Since 1948, the University of St. Thomas has hosted the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), Detachment 410, on its St. Paul campus. The program is designed to prepare full-time students at St. Thomas to assume leadership positions in either the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Space Force.

This spring, Neururer earned his degree in mechanical engineering from the School of Engineering while also commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Air Force. In the weeks ahead, the Tommie alum will begin his career at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where he will serve as a developmental engineer – merging a lifelong love for building things with a commitment to country.

“It really combines two of my biggest passions, figuring out the inner workings of things, but also being part of something that is bigger than myself,” Neururer said. “Being able to apply that to projects that matter, like national defense and keeping people safe, is really meaningful to me.”

Engineering a future in service

Mechanical Engineering major and AFROTC member Teddy Neururer poses for portraits at the Anderson Student Center on May 12, 2025, in St. Paul.
Teddy Neururer '25 (Mark Brown/University of St. Thomas)

When he was a cadet at St. Thomas, the future officer lived a busy life balancing school and military training. Neururer took his academic studies seriously, graduating with magna cum laude honors and receiving the School of Engineering’s outstanding student of the year award in his senior year.

On top of his mechanical engineering coursework, Neururer devoted at least seven hours a week to pursuing his Air Force commission. Cadets in the ROTC program participate in leadership labs, aerospace courses and physical training. They also complete military field training between their sophomore and junior years.

Lt. Col. Leah Meyer, commander of Detachment 410 and Neururer’s former aerospace studies instructor, described the Tommie as the kind of cadet every ROTC program hopes for.

“He’s so brilliant as an engineer. And yet, at the same time, he’s gregarious, outgoing, and easy to work with,” Meyer said. “If we could clone him and make more cadets like Teddy, we would.”

ROTC participants at St. Thomas pursue a variety of majors, from physics to computer science. No matter their field of choice, they all receive intense leadership training from their detachment commanders, who are focused on building leaders of character.

“Teddy finds ways to connect with individuals so he can comprehend complex problems and then translates that into ways for his whole team to accomplish their objective,” Meyer said. “He will be such a blessing for those he leads, especially in the Air Force.”

Mechanical Engineering major and AFROTC member Teddy Neururer poses for portraits at the Anderson Student Center on May 12, 2025, in St. Paul.
Teddy Neururer '25 considered a number of different careers in the military, but engineering was his first choice. He will begin as a developmental engineer with the U.S. Air Force in July 2025. (Mark Brown/University of St. Thomas)

Mission: Innovation

Nothing about Neururer’s first job out of undergrad will be straightforward. The developmental engineer will join the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, leading a team of creative thinkers as they address the military’s biggest technological needs. While he hasn’t been assigned specific projects yet, they likely will be worth millions of dollars and come with significant engineering hurdles.

“St. Thomas and ROTC have laid a very strong foundation for me, especially in my problem-solving skills and my leadership abilities,” Neururer said. “I’ve been pushed outside my comfort zone, learning how to lead in stressful situations and contributing as a member of a team.”

As Neururer prepares to head to Ohio to begin his first assignment, he’s spent time reflecting on his action-packed journey at St. Thomas and advice he’d give to future Tommies.

“Don’t be afraid to say ‘yes’ to things that might be challenging,” Neururer said. “It’s in those uncomfortable and tough moments that you grow the most.”