The Blue
Tribune
The Blue Tribune is your place to learn about all things Covenant and keep up with stories from campus and beyond. By guiding you through the different aspects of Covenant, we'll help you decide if you want to pursue your very own Covenant experience.
Living Faithfully in Silicon Valley: Abigail Kiratzis ’19
As Abigail (Gianis) Kiratzis ’19 looks back on her time at Covenant College and her work in engineering, she recalls the Lord’s hand in shaping her journey.
Choosing Pre-Engineering
By the time she came to the mountain, Abigail was already familiar with the Covenant community because her siblings had attended before her. As a student in the pre-engineering dual degree program, Abigail spent three years at Covenant before transferring to the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated with two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Science from Covenant and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech.
While at Covenant, Abigail and her now husband, Nick Kiratzis ’20, founded the Robotics Club to provide engineering students with opportunities for hands-on experience, including launching a high-altitude weather balloon (carrying a group photo) into space! She says, “Dr. Stern and the physics professors were incredibly helpful through some challenging topics and supported all my wild ideas.” While attending Covenant and Georgia Tech and starting her career in engineering, she felt God’s hand guiding her way.
Pictured: A group photo of the Covenant Robotics Club carried by the weather balloon
they sent into space!From Georgia Tech to Apple
At Georgia Tech, Abigail not only finished her engineering degree but also had the opportunity to work in the engineering field. “I worked at the Invention Studio as team lead and prototyping instructor where I used advanced manufacturing equipment in order to prototype using water jets, laser cutters, CNC, 3D printers,” Abigail says. “I also got to help with a PBS feature segment where I taught students about 3D printing and laser engraving.” One summer, she interned with Boeing, where she worked with engineers from a variety of fields to “manage, track, and implement projects in order to support production of 787-9 and 787-10 aircrafts.” Today, Abigail works on iPhones at Apple Park in Silicon Valley, CA.
Christian Community in Silicon Valley
As Abigail reflects on her love for her job, she also reveals what it is like to be a Christian in Silicon Valley. While the environment is particularly secular, Abigail notes that she is able to witness to those around her by acting out biblical love. In Silicon Valley, she says, “Being a Christian means faithfully demonstrating the love of Jesus even when it feels hard to do so.” Thankfully, she has found a strong Christian community in Grace Presbyterian Church of Silicon Valley, a PCA church attended mostly by engineers. “It has been an incredible blessing,” she says, “to connect with other Christians through the Church and to see what God is doing in Silicon Valley.”
To learn more about the engineering program at Covenant, visit our pre-engineering dual degree page!