Pushing the Possible

Pushing further has always been a consistent part of Ken Love’s life.

As a kid, Ken didn’t just play video games. When his parents got him a console, he was enamored with the hardware and the software inside. The console triggered his fascination with computers and electronics and set him on his path. “That is when I felt like was I meant to be an engineer,” Ken said, “and also I wanted to help people and I could use technology to do that.”

After studying electrical and computer engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Central Florida, Ken got his Master Degree, moved to Rolling Meadows and joined Northrop Grumman in January 2018.

Now, as a member of the Navigation, Targeting & Survivability division Ken supports several different programs, but he always sees his connection to a bigger picture. “Northrop Grumman gave me the opportunity to get to help and protect our soldiers so they could return to their families, safely,” he said.

A stretch assignment had him pushing the limits of that bigger picture even further and exploring what could be done in the realm of wireless communications. “I helped set up and test the Small Wonder developer stations in the lab before sending to our wireless communciations programs to be used in their payloads in the field,” Ken said. “In that way, I was doing what’s never been done and exploring the limits of possible.”

Possibility and Accessibility

Ken also has personally pushed the limits of possible, through necessity. “Deaf since birth, I have faced nothing but hardships throughout my life due to the disability,” he said. “So I wanted to make the world a better place for not only the deaf people but everyone with a disability.” Ken’s drive has made him a member of the Northrop Grumman VOICE employee resource group, working on ways to make physical and digital spaces and resources more inclusive for everyone. Ken’s efforts include approving applications for transcribing speech on the Northrop Grumman network and electronic devices.

But Ken even pushes further outside of his workspace too. “I am a triathlete and whenever I signed up for an endurance race, I put so much determination into training and getting better for it.” Ken completed an Ironman a couple years ago and is currently training for another one later this year. But he’s always looking for ways to advance, whether it’s in his personal life or career. “Whenever I face an entirely new challenge, I roll up my sleeves and seek a new way to overcome it.

To learn more about careers that will enable you to push further and define possible, visit careers.