28 UNDERGRADUATE LEADERS RECEIVE THE BROOKE OWENS FELLOWSHIP AS THE CLASS OF 2026
Brooke Owens Fellowship Class of 2026
March 9, 2026 | Washington, DC
The Brooke Owens Fellowship—a nationally acclaimed nonprofit program recognizing exceptional undergraduate women and gender minorities with space and aviation internships, senior mentorship, and a lifelong professional network—announces its Class of 2026 Brooke Owens Fellows.
The 2026 Brooke Owens Fellows are the tenth class of “Brookies.” The Fellows were selected through a competitive application process that involved applicants submitting technical and creative submissions, interviews with the Fellowships leadership team and Brookie alumni, and reviews from leading aerospace companies. The program received over 400 applications from promising and talented students spanning Ivy League universities, major research universities, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and major international universities. The 2026 Fellows were ultimately selected based on their incredible talent, desire to pursue a career in aerospace, stand-out creative abilities, strong record of leadership, and most importantly, a commitment to their communities.
The Brooke Owens Fellows will each be matched to an executive-level mentor in the aerospace industry who will support and work with the Fellows to help launch their careers in addition to a Brookie Alumni Mentor. This summer, the Fellows will start their internships and come together in July for the annual Brooke Owens Summit. The Class of 2026 will also now join a network of over 350+ Brookie alumni spanning all aspects of space and aviation including engineering, scientific research, policy, journalism, and entrepreneurship.
The Brooke Owens Fellowship was founded in 2016 to honor the memory of beloved industry pioneer and accomplished pilot D. Brooke Owens, who passed away in June 2016 at the age of 35, after a hard-fought battle with cancer. The program was co-founded by Lori Garver, the former Deputy Administrator of NASA; Cassie Lee, CEO of Sound Future; and William Pomerantz, the Head of Space Ventures at AeroVironment. The Brooke Owens Fellowship celebrates its ongoing mission and legacy of disrupting the historical gender imbalance in the aerospace industry by continuing its mission to provide opportunities and access to talented young professionals from women and gender minorities from all backgrounds.
“The entire Brookie family are excited to welcome the 2026 class of Brooke Owens Fellows,” Maddie Kothe said, on behalf of the Leadership Team. “The 2026 Fellows represent incredible leaders who are committed to making a difference in the aerospace industry and their many different communities with their unique, individual talents.”
The 2026 Brooke Owens Fellows are:
Emily Aleman, a Sophomore studying Aerospace Engineering and minoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Computer Science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kelly Behlen, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Melanie Cabrera, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern University
Brianna Clark, a Senior studying Aerospace Engineering and minoring in Computer Science at California State University, Long Beach
Sophia Crowder, a Junior studying Systems Engineering with an Aerospace Concentration and Astronomy and minoring in Electrical Engineering at University of Virginia
Olivia DeScipio, a Sophomore studying Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and minoring in Communications at Purdue University
Raisa Effress, a Junior studying Astrophysics and minoring in Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University
Barbara De Figueiredo, a Senior studying Aerospace Engineering at University of Colorado, Boulder
Asaiah Gifford, a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Spanish and Global Engineering at University of Colorado, Boulder
Kyla Hunter, a Senior studying Industrial Engineering and minoring in Mathematics at Mississippi State University
Emily Kyroudis, a Sophomore studying Aerospace Engineering and Innovation, Leadership, and Engineering Entrepreneurship at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Daisy Li, a Sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University
Aspen McKee, a Junior studying Physics/Astrophysics at Montana State University
Lucia Morton, a Sophomore studying Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and Innovation in Public Service at Purdue University
Simone Moulton, a Junior studying Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and minoring in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Plant Biology at Purdue University
Keerthi Padmanabhan, a Junior studying Materials Science and Engineering and minoring in Industrial Design at Georgia Institute of Technology
Simran Panda, a Junior studying Astrophysics and minoring in Applied Sciences and Engineering at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
LaMya Powell, a Senior studying Aerospace Engineering at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Autumn Rhodes, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering and minoring in Astronomy at Rice University
Zeina Rmaile, a Sophomore studying Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
Sofia Robertson, a Junior studying Computer Science and Physics at Harvey Mudd College
Ava Schwarz, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at Yale University
Gabrielle Scott, a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering at University of California, San Diego
Riva Sharma, a Senior studying Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
Saragha Surendra, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology
Tanya Vijay, a Sophomore studying Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and minoring in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Purdue University
Roxy Williams, a Senior studying Computer/Software Engineering at Latin American University of Science and Technology
Ivana Xu, a Junior studying Computer Engineering at University of California, Irvine