Blog Posts — Brooke Owens Fellowship

All BLog Posts

The live feed of Brookie news! Read articles written by our Fellows and follow the achievements of the Fellows and the program in the news or in publications. This blog is written and maintained by alumnae of the Brooke Owens Fellowship.

Posts in Articles

10 Ways to Take a Stand: A Manifesto for STEM Sisterhood

10 Ways to Take a Stand: A Manifesto for STEM Sisterhood

By Sue Kaur, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow

In the last 5 years, I’ve been fortunate to meet confident and powerful women in leadership roles within their organizations. These women, who are articulate and graceful in the face of adversity, have shown me how to not only exist, but thrive upon my own terms. They showed me the value of STEM sisterhood and diplomacy when responding to “delicate situations.” These are the lessons I learned in my journey, and the wisdom imparted onto me by the phenomenal women who have taken me under their wing.

ArticlesCaroline JNovember 1, 2019representation, advice Comment

Tips to Make Your Application Stand Out

Tips to Make Your Application Stand Out

Are you an undergraduate woman or gender minority student thinking of applying to the Brooke Owens Fellowship? (Answer: You should!). Or are you currently in the middle of writing your application? Will, the Co-Founder of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, shared a series of tips weekly on Twitter to help 2018 applicants through the process. These tips have been copied from his posts.

ArticlesCaroline JOctober 27, 2019application, advice

Finding Beauty—In Space and on Stage

Finding Beauty—In Space and on Stage

By Michelle Lin, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow

SWE member and pageant contestant Michelle Lin urges all engineers and future engineers to remember: "You are not just your major, and you deserve to pursue all your passions in equal capacity.”

ArticlesCaroline JOctober 18, 2019representation

Make Your Mark: the Brooke Owens Fellowship through the eyes of an alumna

Make Your Mark: the Brooke Owens Fellowship through the eyes of an alumna

By Anika Hidayat, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow

2019 Brookie Anika walks us through the Brooke Owens Fellowship, why it was founded, and what our Brookies get out of the fellowship. “There are plenty of blank pages waiting for your story of aerospace success. We'll be your biggest supporters.”

ArticlesCaroline JOctober 13, 2019about the Fellowship, BOF experience

The Long, Uncertain Path to Influencing in the Space Community

The Long, Uncertain Path to Influencing in the Space Community

By Laura Seward Forczyk, Brooke Owens Fellowship Mentor

Despite earning and pushing my way through many doors, I too frequently feel as an outside looking in, striving for more acceptance and more opportunity to prove I can do this.

ArticlesCaroline JSeptember 13, 2019BOF experience, BOF mentor

The New Space Age

The New Space Age

By Michelle Lin, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow

There are some people that come into your lives, and in that instant, you know you are changed forever. Now imagine 38.

ArticlesCaroline JSeptember 12, 2019BOF experience, representation

What to do if you are on the sidelines of the aerospace industry, wishing you could get in

What to do if you are on the sidelines of the aerospace industry, wishing you could get in

By Will Pomerantz, BOF Co-Founder

What to do if you are on the sidelines of the aerospace industry, wishing you could get in. I sure as heck don’t have all the answers, but I’ll share what I’ve got. So, okay. Let’s say you’ve decided to give it a shot. Whether you are a student looking for your first job or a life-long aerospace enthusiast looking to go pro, you’ve decided to try it.

ArticlesCaroline JAugust 23, 2019aerospace, advice

2019 Brooke Owens Summit - Natalie Pfister

2019 Brooke Owens Summit - Natalie Pfister

By Natalie Pfister, 2019 Brooke Owens Fellow

Before this summer I had never worked on an all-female project team in my own field. I had never worked on a Grand Challenge. I had never spoken to women in the space industry who could tell me about their career paths, the challenges they faced, and how they overcame them. And I had certainly never had a dance party on a pirate boat.

ArticlesCaroline JAugust 16, 2019BOF experience

INTRODUCING THE 2019 CLASS OF BROOKE OWENS FELLOWS: 38 EXTRAORDINARY UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN EARN TOP JOBS, EXECUTIVE MENTORS

INTRODUCING THE 2019 CLASS OF BROOKE OWENS FELLOWS: 38 EXTRAORDINARY UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN EARN TOP JOBS, EXECUTIVE MENTORS

PRESS RELEASE: Today, the Brooke Owens Fellowship announced its newest class of “Brookies,” a cohort of extraordinary undergraduate women in aerospace selected for their professional aptitude, their creativity, their leadership ability, and their commitment to serving their communities.

ArticlesCaroline JFebruary 5, 2019Fellow announcement, press release

Looking at the stars and understanding our universe should be discussed in all languages, not just English

Looking at the stars and understanding our universe should be discussed in all languages, not just English

By Diana Alsindy, 2017 Brooke Owens Fellow

The language barrier can be a problem for many – if you don’t speak English, you’re essentially excluded from conversations about space exploration. I’m a Propulsion Development Engineer at Virgin Orbit and I’m trying to address this issue with a bilingual Instagram account – The Arabian Stargazer.

ArticlesCaroline JJanuary 9, 2019science communication

Breaking down the gender gap in the aerospace industry

Breaking down the gender gap in the aerospace industry

By Will Pomerantz, Brooke Owens Fellowship Co-Founder

Innovators all around the world are getting creative about ways to close the gender gap and other forms of underrepresentation and discrimination. One fresh new programme that’s making waves is the Brooke Owens Fellowship. Now entering its third year, this program gives extraordinary undergraduate women an incredible start to their careers in aviation or space.

ArticlesCaroline JSeptember 26, 2018about the Fellowship

41 UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN SELECTED AS BROOKE OWENS FELLOWS

41 UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN SELECTED AS BROOKE OWENS FELLOWS

PRESS RELEASE: Today, the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program - an award-winning, volunteer-led program awarding internships and senior mentorship to exceptional undergraduate women seeking careers in aviation or space exploration - announced 41 young leaders as recipients of 2018 Brooke Owens Fellowships.

ArticlesCaroline JFebruary 5, 2018Fellow announcement, press release

Ask Us Anything: Brooke Owens Fellows Answer on Reddit's /r/IAmA

Ask Us Anything: Brooke Owens Fellows Answer on Reddit's /r/IAmA

By Caroline Juang, 2017 Brooke Owens Fellow

On Sunday, December 3, 2017, the 2017 Brookies took to their computers to answer questions about the Brooke Owens Fellowship on the community website Reddit. The session with the Brookies lasted an hour, garnering some great responses that are recorded below ranging from their experiences as women in the aerospace industry to advice for the application process.

ArticlesCaroline JDecember 4, 2017advice, BOF experience, application, representation

36 UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN SELECTED AS BROOKE OWENS FELLOWS, EARNING SENIOR MENTORSHIP AND PAID POSITIONS AT LEADING AEROSPACE FIRMS

36 UNDERGRADUATE WOMEN SELECTED AS BROOKE OWENS FELLOWS, EARNING SENIOR MENTORSHIP AND PAID POSITIONS AT LEADING AEROSPACE FIRMS

PRESS RELEASE: Today, the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program - a volunteer-led program awarding internships and senior mentorship to exceptional undergraduate women seeking careers in aviation or space exploration - announced 36 young leaders as recipients of 2017 Brooke Owens Fellowships.

ArticlesCaroline JMarch 8, 2017Fellow announcement, press release

Unlock the door – we can let ourselves in

Unlock the door – we can let ourselves in

By Diana Trujillo, Brooke Owens Fellowship Mentor

Exploring space is extraordinarily difficult. Like the other challenges of our time, if we want to solve it, we need to harness the intelligence and creativity of all of our best and brightest people, not just those of one race or gender.

ArticlesCaroline JJanuary 24, 2017representation