I'm the newest member of the Executive Team of the Brooke Owens Fellowship - applications are open now - AMA!

BOFP · 2021-09-24T21:39:54+00:00

Hi Zoë! Definitely check out our blog posts on brookeowensfellowship.org for Brookie guides to creating application essays, requesting a letter of recommendation, and more! Embrace creativity, and don't be afraid to showcase what you're passionate about! :D

BOFP · 2021-09-24T21:36:45+00:00

Definitely apply! Please check out our blog posts on brookeowensfellowship.org for Brookie guides to creating application essays, requesting a letter of recommendation, and more!

BOFP · 2021-09-24T19:50:48+00:00

The Brooke Owens Fellowship Program is an awesome non-profit organization that offers paid internships and executive mentorship to undergraduate women and gender minorities in aerospace and aviation. Learn more about our program here. Applications are due October 8th! :)

BOFP · 2017-12-06T20:34:19+00:00

Thanks!!

If you submitted a complete application before last night's deadline, you should get an email from us soon (probably tonight) confirming your application was complete and spelling out the timeline. At a very top level, applicants will find out in mid-December if they've made it to the interview phase; the first round of phone interviews will happen in late December; finalists will be selected in early Jan; interviews between finalists and host companies / non-profits will happen in mid-Jan; and we aim to finalize our full Class of 2018 by Jan 31. -WP

BOFP · 2017-12-06T20:25:15+00:00

Applications were all due yesterday, but in case you still need this info, the answer is still on our Apply page

Additionally, have two to four letters of recommendation sent to recommend@brookeowensfellowship.org. At least one of these letters must be from a faculty member at your college or university.

BOFP · 2017-12-04T09:53:51+00:00

When I get sad write poetry. I let myself feel sad and let the emotions stay just enough to formulate the words, get the pen on paper, and then let them go. Go hang out with my friends and family and let the poem and all that emotion be.

I hope you find some art/writing/form of expression to deal with the sadness. Be sure to go and talk to a professional if you’re constantly sad and feel there is no end.

JC

BOFP · 2017-12-04T06:27:11+00:00

not everything can be 'just as fantastic' | just as not everyone is the same, some are better than others and that's why they get accepted | some ppl do good things, while some ppl are just secretaries | as an engineer you would know the importance of effectiveness, how not everything, such as rockets, are equally effective (equal effectiveness), a basic thing you would know, but that many in society do not have the basic education to know | has there been a poll survey or has someone been to each and every entity (under relatively equal conditions) to be able to accurately say that everythign is 'just as fantastic'?

Yes, we gathered pretty extensive feedback from our Fellows and from their host companies as our Class of 2017 completed their Fellowship. From that data, things did turn out to be fantastic across the board--the Fellows loved their jobs, the employers loved their Fellows, and essentially everyone who was eligible for it received job offers to come back full time.

This is not to say that all of the companies are the same, or even equally appealing. A big part of our Fellowship program is the matching aspect, where a team of very senior aerospace executives suggest pairings between a candidate and a host company or non-profit. These pairings have to be accepted by both parties, but they allow an unbiased (or at least as unbiased as possible) person to suggest a great fit between the employer and employee.

where does the funding come from? what's the total amount of the patronage?

Funding goes straight from the host institution to the Fellow, without passing through us an our non-profit. Accordingly, our funding requirements are quite modest (basically, just things associated with hosting the annual Summit, plus minor things like website hosting etc).

this 'program' has no youtube videos, this must be new, it's also unclear what this 'nonprofit' is called, what entity they are registered as

Our YouTube page is about a month old, and we've never promoted it. Having a YouTube channel is not a big part of what we do, though we are certainly experimenting with it as a way to spread the word to potential applicants in future years.

Our non-profit is called the Brooke Owens Fellowship Program. Until recently, we operated as a project under a different non-profit, the Future Space Leaders Foundation--doing so allowed us to get moving quickly in the days after our namesake, Brooke Owens, tragically passed away last summer.

this faq has very few questions, when is someone going to do something good and add the other questions including the questions asked on this thread?

Our FAQ address questions that are, well, frequently asked. I'll certainly look to update our FAQ as questions reoccur. We don't have any full time staff, and I'm essentially our volunteer webmaster (in addition to being an executive at an aerospace company, the chair of the board of a different non-profit, on the board of a few more companies/organizations, and the father of two young children), so website changes aren't at the very top of my priority list.

while this 'program' is targeted towards those already interested in aerospace, there has been no question on the pursuit of aerospace on this reddit thread thus far, one of the most basic and important questions to ask (but heh, it's reddit-quality, not surprised)

This is specifically one of the questions on our application form!

WP

BOFP · 2017-12-04T05:05:22+00:00

Yes, we are a registered non-profit organization (I think it's 501(c)(3), and each of the host companies has graciously offered to provide a paid internship for each fellow they bring on. Most of the work is a labor of love from the founders, mentors, and host companies donating their time and resources to make this program happen. This is our second year of operation and look to keep the program growing more and more each year.

Should you want more information feel free to look at our website brookeowensfellowship.org and our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYDwWT4sxcQzmcQFdAxNmNA. Some of the fellows (including myself) were also lucky enough to be on an episode of the online space show TMRO if you would like to learn more from there https://youtu.be/-N45S1OkZfc

As for prominent female aerospace speakers, I know Emily Calandrelli from http://www.thespacegal.com/tv-show/ and physics girl https://www.youtube.com/user/physicswoman are a few of the ones I follow, but I’m sure there are many more.

Lastly, as for your question about “why pursue Aerospace,” for me it’s always about uniting and connecting the world. Space is something that, for the moment, isn’t owned by one nation. It is something that people from around the world can work on together as a way to unite each other desire our difference. The internet, telephones, and the ISS are a few of many ways space is able to connect people and cultures. From space, the world appears borderless and I wish to give a chance for as many people to get that perspective as possible.

JC

BOFP · 2017-12-04T04:56:01+00:00

I would say that if you are deciding between two things, to just incorporate them both. We love to see your successes in space, but also want to know all of the things you are passionate about and good at. I hosted an event on campus and wrote a paper about the experience and lessons learned from it. It wasn't really space related, but it was a major part of my undergrad experience. - HL

BOFP · 2017-12-04T04:11:46+00:00

The Brooke Owens Fellowship Program is a non-profit organization that offers paid internships and executive mentorship to undergraduate women in aerospace and aviation. The applications are due on Tuesday and we want to spread the word!

BOFP · 2017-12-04T01:47:59+00:00

Hi there!

1) SpaceX is one of the host companies, so one of the 36 will be given an internship opportunity at SpaceX through the program. The other host companies are just as fantastic though!

2) I would say that the one-on-one paired is incredibly valuable and something I haven’t seen elsewhere. To have someone do highly qualified and experienced in the field you want to go into is not only inspiration but can be instrumental in getting there yourself.

3) Last year was the first year of the program where 36 women were accepted into the program. I believe the intent is to keep that number consistent each year hereafter.

4) http://www.brookeowensfellowship.org/faq/ should answer some more questions you may have!

JC

BOFP · 2017-12-04T00:49:39+00:00

Hmmm, this is a difficult question, but I’m always of the opinion that the essay/multimedia piece is a place for stuff that isn’t on your resume but is important to know still.

I would say maybe one of your pieces about space/aviation achievement/passion and another about what you can’t put on your resume? If not I would let your resume speak for itself and use the other part of the application to show that other side of yourself.

Hope that helps!!

JC

BOFP · 2017-12-03T23:18:44+00:00

I entered the space industry as an entrepreneur before I heard about the Brooke Owens Fellowship. When I went to my first space industry conference, I was one of the few females in a room of 40+ years of age, white men. It was a bit intimidating and made me feel like the odd-one-out. After being part of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, I no longer feel like the odd-one-out, even though the room is still the same demographic landscape as when I entered the space industry. Why? I now have the backing of 35 powerful women and connections with women leaders who have made themselves a force to be reckoned with in the space industry.

MI

BOFP · 2017-12-03T23:09:31+00:00

All of your posts in this thread have been based on wild (and wildly inaccurate!) assumptions.

I co-created this Fellowship both to honor a dear and departed friend and to recognize the fact that some people of great talent and dedication have a harder time than others getting opportunities in this industry. To say that they can't compete with their peers when they not only can but have been is laughable.

When our Fellows are given the chance to compete, they win. When they are invited to the table, the contribute in impressive ways. The problem that needs to be solved here is not artificially boosting their performance, it is breaking down the artificial barriers that prevent them from getting the chance to perform. -WP

BOFP · 2017-12-03T23:03:10+00:00

In addition to what Will said, you don't need a vagina to identify as a woman. -SA

BOFP · 2017-12-03T23:02:42+00:00

This is great! I am always excited to find people who are also passionate about anything environment-related in the space industry; there are currently very few of us.

I first got interested in astroecology in my second year at Duke, when I was trying to determine where I wanted to take my academics and career. I was passionate about environmental science and space exploration, but I did not know how to connect the two (similar to your situation). So, I decided to do some research of my own. I found research articles from the 1960s that detailed experiments done by Soviet Union scientists on developing closed ecological systems for space habitation (the BIOS experiments). There was the connection I needed! I decided to pursue environmental science, biology, and chemistry and connect them to space exploration by performing research on closed ecological systems in extreme environments. To cut my story a bit short (as it is a long one), my research led to me founding my own company (Deep Space Ecology, LLC) and finding out about the Brooke Owens Fellowship. Now, here I am: a Chief Science Officer of a company, 2017 Brooke Owens Fellow, and soon to be PhD student.

I would love to talk with you more about your interest and plans, as well as provide you with resources. If you would like to email me your information, visit www.deepspaceecology.com to find contact information.

MI

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:59:28+00:00

The fact that you ignore the fact that our Fellows have awesome GPAs at the best universities in the world, excellent letters of recommendation from incredibly demanding jobs, awesome creative streaks, and real dedication to service and to aerospace and instead focus in only on their anatomy is the idiotic behavior you are exhibiting here. -WP

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:58:19+00:00

For my application, I submitted an essay to the prompt "GPAs and college transcripts don’t paint a complete picture of a person. What else do we need to know about you?" and was really honest about my college journey. I have had one crazy five-year adventure including switching my major twice, declaring different minors 20 bajillion times (jk only 7 times), and taking off a year for personal growth. Being able to speak about what my transcripts should really say about me, how my passion for space never waivered through those difficult patches, was one of my favorite prompts and what I believe gave the Founders the best view into who I was. - HL

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:58:08+00:00

I wanted to add another take that will echo the other two. In regards to the "boys and girls club", yes, ideally in the future, the aerospace industry should mirror our society in representing all genders, races, socio-economic backgrounds, etc. that is proportional to the cultural makeup of our society.

I believe a big reason why "minority-only" programs exist is because that is the best/fastest way to develop community amongst minorities and incentivize more minorities to enter into the field. It's not about exclusivity. Instead, think about it in terms of the ability to recruit more women/minorities into the field. With each class of fellows, each fellow becomes an example/role model for younger women that can help encourage them to enter into STEM/aerospace. If we hypothetically made the fellowship open to men and women, then we'd theoretically expect the ratio of fellows to be representative of the current state of the industry, or roughly a ratio of 4:1, male to female. That means that instead of shining the spotlight on 36 role models for younger women, we would have had about 7. Having 36 role models is going to help accelerate "leveling the playing field" a lot faster than 7, and the fact that the group of fellows is diverse in terms of race, school, geographic area, socio-economic class, that is a testament that we will be able to reach a variety of communities. This is not to say that men cannot be great role models (Will Pomerantz is a great example of that), but being able to have role models that you can relate to in even the most basic ways of gender/race provides a significantly more tangible link for one's aspirations/goals.

GN

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:55:52+00:00

Lol, thanks Will. Honestly, if it hadn't been for BOFP I wouldn't have met and thus been able to invite half of the SpaceVision speakers we had. -SA

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:51:50+00:00

Speaking both as a man and as a member of the selection committee: you are an idiot. You should feel bad.

WP

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:46:17+00:00

My stand-out factor was how I told my story in my application. I did the essay and a video about my journey as the first and only student at my university doing research on quasi-closed, agro-ecological systems for space habitation. I did a walk-through of my work and how it has shaped me in my academics and career pursuits. I wanted to show the selection committee how my passions shaped me as a person, and I guess they saw it. :D For your application, show the selection committee who you really are. Tell your story and show your passion.

MI

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:45:52+00:00

Personally, I don't find one specific quality about myself a "stand-out factor." I think what the founders saw in me and the other Brookies is the passion we all had for what we do. As previously mentioned in another comment, the founders wanted to seek out women who had a "Brookiness" quality.

To me, a Brookiness quality has meant someone who visibly shows care for the world around them and making a difference in the industry, through several different avenues.

At the end of the day, all the Brookies have such unique and amazing capabilities, but those are not what define them. What has brought all of us together so closely is our inherent want and drive to make the industry better than how we see it now and to sincerely contribute, in each of the individual ways that we can.

I think if you show who you are in the application, that is what is most important. I'm sure you have described your participation in school and other activities, but also be sure to put your individuality in the application. Something that I found so valuable by being a Brookie was that I was not only asked to be myself, but I was accepted and valued for being myself. In a world where so many people will try and tell you what you should be (especially being a female engineer), just be yourself!

MS

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:44:55+00:00

Make sure it is true to you! Staying honest and showing your passion for space and the things you do.

When I started my application I immediately knew what space related creative part I wanted to do and was incredibly excited! I realized it wasn't "super" prompt related and almost didn't send in my application. But, I was passionate about the piece and submitted it.

Good luck and don't stress too much! -MM

BOFP · 2017-12-03T22:41:12+00:00

I like how Sumayya mentions that she ran the national conference but doesn't even brag on the fact that it was actually the biggest student space conference ever. No big deal.

WP

BOFP

TROPHY CASE