47 UNDERGRADUATE LEADERS RECEIVE THE BROOKE OWENS FELLOWSHIP AS THE CLASS OF 2024
January 30, 2024 | 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 2024 Brooke Owens Fellows
The Class of 2024 marks the eighth class of “Brookie” Fellows. The 47 Fellows were selected through a fair and extremely competitive application process involving written and creative submissions, interviews with the Fellowship’s leadership team and its close network, and interviews with leading aerospace employers from across multiple sectors in the U.S. aerospace industry. Over 450 promising and talented students submitted their applications, coming from Ivy League universities, major research universities, historically black colleges and universities (HBCU’s), liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and major international universities. The Fellows were selected based on their incredible talent, desire to pursue a career in aerospace, stand-out creative abilities, record of leadership, and most importantly 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 in Washington, DC. The Class of 2024 will also become part of the network of almost 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.
Today, the Brooke Owens Fellowship is led by the 5-person Executive Team that includes Caryn Schenewerk, President of CS Consulting LLC and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center; Kayla Watson, a System Reliability Engineer at Amazon Prime Air; Lori Garver, co-founder of the Brooke Owens Fellowship and former Deputy Administrator of NASA; Maddie Koth, West Coast Recovery Manager at SpaceX, and Sirisha Bandla, Vice President of Government Affairs and Research Operations at Virgin Galactic.
“The Executive Team and the Brookie family are excited to welcome the eighth class of Brooke Owen Fellows. This class is made up of exceptional leaders who are passionate about the industry while creating an impact through their own individual talents and passions.” Garver said on behalf of the Executive Team.
The 2024 Brooke Owens Fellows are:
Abigail Kuppler, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. Kuppler will intern with Stratolaunch.
Alexis Lopez, a Sophomore studying Aerospace Engineering at Lone Star College. Lopez will intern with Lockheed Martin.
Amanda Gutiérrez, a 4th year in the Mechanical Engineering Department with a minor in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus. Guitierrez will intern with Venturi Astrolab.
Annalise Johnson a Junior studying Public Policy Analysis at the Ohio State University. Johnson will intern with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Ariette Kaberlein, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Kaberlein will intern with SpaceX.
Autumn Edwards, a Senior studying Computer Engineering at Howard University. Edwards will intern with BryceTech.
Ayaka Hoshida, a Senior studying Mechanical engineering at Rice University. Hoshida will intern with Venturi Astrolab.
Brenna Wells, a Senior studying Physics and Mathematics at the University of Alabama. Wells will intern with Loft Orbital.
Carolina Vergara, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Houston. Vergara will intern with the United Launch Alliance.
Davina Russell, a Senior studying Aerospace Engineering & Industrial Design at the University of Notre Dame. Russell will intern with K2 Space.
Ellen Wang, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Wang will intern with Rocket Lab.
Emily Winters, a Junior studying the Integrated Degree in Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. Winters will intern with Blue Origin
Emma Kate Price, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at Harvard University. Price will intern with SpaceX.
Grecia Paola Siono Gutierrez, a Junior studying Electrical Engineering at University of California, San Diego. Siono Gutierrez will intern with Blue Origin.
Hannah Sherman, a Sophomore studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. Sherman will intern with Northrop Grumman.
Isabella Eby, a Senior studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Florida. Eby will intern with Blue Origin.
Jocelyn Freed, a Junior studying Materials Science and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. Freed will intern with Ursa Major.
Kaitlyn Fleming, a Senior studying Electrical and Computer Engineering at Olin College. Fleming will intern with Amazon Project Kuiper.
Kimberly Miranda, a Junior studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Miranda will intern with Iridium.
Leya Shaw, a Sophomore studying Aerospace Engineering at University of Colorado, Boulder. Shaw will intern with ABL Space Systems.
Linda Krellner, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at University of California, Berkeley. Krellner will intern with SpaceX.
Madeleine Yee, a Sophomore studying Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering at Purdue University. Yee will intern with The Aerospace Corporation.
Makenna Kuzyk, a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering at University of Alberta. Kuzyk will intern with Zipline.
Makenzi Fischbach, a Senior studying Astrophysics at Wellesley College and Electrical & Computer Engineering at Olin College. Fischbach will intern with HawkEye 360.
Mariko Storey-Matsutani, a Junior studying Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. Storey-Matsutani will intern with Zipline.
Mia Arndt, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mathematics at Saint Louis University. Arndt will intern with Voyager.
Minju O’Rourke, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University. O’Rourke will intern with Joby Aviation.
Myrsini San Marchi, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering at University of California, Los Angeles. San Marchi will intern with Blue Origin.
Nadia Higgins, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at Prairie View A&M University. Higgins will intern with KBR.
Nadia Schwartz Bolef, a Senior studying Astrophysics at Scripps College. Schwartz Bolef will intern with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.
Naia Lum, a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering and Autonomous Systems and Robotics at Illinois Institute of Technology. Lum will intern with Draper Laboratory.
Navya Meka, a junior studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Meka will intern with SpaceX.
Nicole Huimei Lee, a Junior studying Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Business, Economics, and Management at the California Institute of Technology. Lee will intern with Space Capital.
Nina Otebele, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. Otebele will intern with Amazon Prime Air.
Nithya Koneru, a Sophomore studying Aerospace Engineering at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Koneru will intern with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Ritisha Das, a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics at Arizona State University. Das will intern with Airbus US Space & Defense.
Samantha Dolski, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering at University of Texas at Austin. Dolski will intern with Relativity Space.
Senna Keesing, a Junior studying Aeronautics and Astronautics at University of Washington. Keesing will intern with Vast Space.
Sindhu Belki, a Senior studying Aerospace Engineering at The University of Alabama. Belki will intern with SES.
Sophia Chang, a Senior studying Science, Technology, International Affairs: Security Studies at Georgetown University. Chang will intern with Aerospace Industries Association.
Tayler Gilmore, a Junior studying Journalism at University of Missouri-Columbia. Gilmore will intern with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Tess Johnson, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering with Aerospace track at the Colorado School of Mines. Johnson will intern with Sierra Space.
Upasana Dilip, a Junior studying Mechanical Engineering at University of California, Berkely. Dilip will intern with Lynk Global.
Wendy Rossi, a Junior studying Aerospace Engineering at University of Texas at Austin. Rossi will intern with Hermeus.
Yen Do, a Senior studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Do will intern with Lockheed Martin Space.
Zariah Orr, a Senior studying Aerospace Engineering and Physics at The University of Alabama. Orr will intern with United Launch Alliance.
Zoe Koniaris, a Junior studying Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University. Koniaris will intern with Ball Aerospace.