The Brooke Owens Fellowship ^{[1] [2] [3]} is a non-profit program in the United States that provides paid internships and executive mentorship for undergraduate women seeking a career in aviation or space exploration. ^[4] The fellowship was created to honor the memory of Brooke Owens, a pilot and space policy expert who died of cancer at the age of 35. ^[5]

Motivation and overview

The program looks to improve diversity within the aerospace industry. ^[6] The program offers students paid summer internships at companies (including SpaceX, Avascent, Commercial Spaceflight Federation, Orbital ATK, Virgin Orbit, and Blue Origin), travel stipends and assigned mentors. ^[7] It was created by Lori Garver, a former NASA deputy administrator, along with aerospace executives William Pomerantz ( Virgin Orbit) and Cassie Kloberdanz Lee ( Vulcan Inc.). ^[8]

Fellows received two experienced aerospace mentors, one at their host industry, and another in an associated sector. ^[9] Mentors include Lori Garver, Diana Trujillo, Charles Bolden, Pamela Melroy, Dava Newman, Danielle Wood, Emily Calandrelli, Will Pomerantz and Cassie Lee. ^[10] The fellows are connected to a Fellowship class and an alumni network. ^[9] The program is run with Future Space Leaders, and emphasises creativity. ^[11] The annual Brooke Owens Fellowship conference happens during the Future Space Conference in Washington, D.C. ^[11] Whilst the program is open to international students, some institutions can only host US citizens or green card holders. ^{[11] [12]}

The program's success has resulted in the creation of several spin-off fellowships, including the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship, Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, Zed Factor Fellowship, and Zenith Canada Pathways Fellowship. ^[13]

Alumni

As of 2024, the Brooke Owens Fellowship has 343 alumnae across eight cohorts. ^[14] Fellows span fields from engineering and science to policy, journalism, and entrepreneurship.

Inaugural Class of 2017

• Jocelyn Clancy, ( University of Southern California) — The Aerospace Corporation
• Katherine Carroll ( University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) — The Aerospace Corporation
• Makiah Eustice ( Texas A&M University) — The Aerospace Corporation
• Maryam Gracias ( Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) — Air Line Pilots Association
• Rachael McKee ( Metropolitan State University of Denver) — Air Line Pilots Association
• Shreya Udupa ( Arizona State University) — Altius Space Machines
• Morgan Irons ( Duke University) — Avascent
• Mady Sargent ( University of Kansas) — Ball Aerospace
• Taylor Zedosky ( University of South Carolina) — Ball Aerospace
• Golda Nguyen ( Georgia Institute of Technology) — Blue Origin
• Amy Comeau ( Purdue University) — Bryce Space and Technology
• Caroline Juang ( Harvard University) — Bryce Space and Technology
• Emily Sheffield ( Harding University) — Commercial Spaceflight Federation
• Chelsey Ballarte ( Arizona State University) — GeekWire
• Michaela Spaulding ( Iowa State University) — Generation Orbit
• Karen Rucker ( Texas Tech University) — HawkEye 360
• Maggie Goertzen ( University of Utah) — Made In Space
• Hayley Lewis ( Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) — Mojave Air and Space Port
• Jasmine Q. Smith ( Tuskegee University) — Mojave Air and Space Port
• Kaitlin Engelbert ( University of Colorado, Boulder) — The Museum of Flight
• Pau Pineda Bosque ( Purdue University) — Orbital ATK
• Sumayya Abukhalil ( University of Central Florida) — Orbital ATK
• Maddie Miller ( Union College) — Planet Labs
• Becca Thoss ( University of Southern California) — Planetary Resources
• Dahlia Baker ( Coe College) — Planetary Resources
• Karen Kuhlman ( Oregon State University) — Scaled Composites
• Amanda Turk ( University of Colorado, Boulder) — Sierra Nevada Corporation
• Justine Walker ( College of Wooster) — Sierra Nevada Corporation
• Dawn Andrews ( Georgia Institute of Technology) — SpaceX
• Roselin Campos ( University of California, Los Angeles) — Space Sciences Laboratory
• Christine Reilly ( University of Colorado, Boulder) — Virgin Orbit
• Diana Alsindy ( University of California, San Diego) — Virgin Orbit
• Ninoshka Llontop Lozano ( University of Illinois at Chicago) — Virgin Orbit
• Piper Sigrest ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — Virgin Orbit
• Christine Chappelle ( Massachusetts Institute of Technology) — Vulcan Aerospace
• Sasha Warren ( Durham University (UK)) — XPRIZE

^{[15] [16]}

References

External links

• Brooke Owens Fellowship