Hi! My name is Rikhi and you are listening to The Leadership, Equity and Wellness pod. Thank you for tuning in to Season 2. This season shared conversations that were recorded a year after the episodes from Season 1. Since then my understanding of leadership, equity and wellness for minorities across various industries evolved so much as did my understanding of recording, editing and sharing podcast episodes with the world. I am so honored to have had your time every Friday as new episodes released and it is my hope that together we grew through each episode and pushed ourselves to renew our commitment to taking care of ourselves first. Thank you so much for tuning in.
Paola Terrazas was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. Paola is a first-generation college graduate from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) where she obtained a Bachelor's in Computer Science and a minor in Mathematics. During her college career, she completed 5 SWE internships including Disney, Facebook, Lucasfilm and Facebook. She created Lady Engineering, her blog, to share her advice, experience and learnings being a minority in tech. Her goal is to inspire, encourage and motivate gender-minorities in STEM to break barriers and achieve their career goals.
Kellie Gerardi is an aerospace and technology professional, a popular science communicator, and a payload specialist flying to space on a dedicated research mission with Virgin Galactic. Kellie is the author of Not Necessarily Rocket Science and the children’s picture book series Luna Muna. Kellie lives in Jupiter, Florida with her husband and their daughter Delta V. You can follow her on social media @kelliegerardi
Tammy is a Global Supply Chain Manager at Lucid Motors, working on electric vehicles to build a more sustainable future. She works with cross functional teams across finance, engineering, and quality to develop commodity strategies in her Supply Chain and Purchasing role. Previously, she was a Central Buyer at Ford Motors. Tammy graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with her Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering.
In building a more sustainable future inside and outside work, Tammy enjoys participating in city task forces on their energy committees and in hackathons by using design thinking to identify and solve problems. Tammys first introduction to design thinking and problem solving was during high school robotics.
This was profoundly meaningful to her because it not only sparked her interest in STEM, but it unleashed her courage to blaze a trail for other minorities. As a first-generation low income college student, Tammy valued the mentorship she received through robotics and is deeply passionate about mentoring first generation college students, high school robotics teams, and minorities in STEM.
Antonella is a Computer Science student pursuing a Bachelor of Science, an incoming Software Engineer at Microsoft, a former illustrator and apparel designer from Argentina and a content creator. Beyond being a Computer Science student, she also works part-time as a Research Assistant studying the experiences of minorities within computer science education in order to broaden participation in computer science to all. Passionate about the impact that technology has on society, she's an advocate for diversity within STEM, and for justice-oriented design practices within technology that no longer continue to discriminate against people based on their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural background.
Hira is currently pursuing a Master of Engineering Science in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Western University’s Institute for Earth and Space Exploration. As the President and Co-Founder of the Zenith Canada Pathways Foundation, she has worked with her team to develop the Zenith Fellowship which provides internship and mentorship opportunities to students and young professionals from underrepresented groups across Canada. Hira is an alumni of the Brooke Owens Fellowship program in the US from the Class of 2020, and was the first Canadian selected for the program. She had the opportunity to intern in the Manufacturing and Test Engineering department at Planet in San Francisco, CA.
Hira strives to create inclusive opportunities for underrepresented students across Canada who are passionate about space. Hira was on the Board of Directors of SEDS-Canada from 2017-2020 in varying roles including the Events Chair and President, where she worked on increasing outreach across Canada.
Her current research focuses on machine learning applications for autonomous robotic systems on future space exploration missions. She is currently a Mitacs Intern with Mission Control Space Services where she is developing a deep learning algorithm for lunar regolith particle classification. She is also the ADCS specialist for the Western Ukpik-1 cube satellite mission which is a part of the Canadian CubeSat Project with the Canadian Space Agency.
Sarah Lappin (she/her) graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2021 with a First Class Bachelor’s of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science. As a 2021 Brooke Owens Fellow Sarah interned at Loft Orbital in France, having faced the issues that come with being an international in aerospace. Sarah continued at Loft Orbital following her internship and currently works from the San Francisco office as a Machine Learning Engineer. Previously, Sarah was a software engineer intern at Pixalytics Ltd through the UK Space Agency funded Space Placement in Industry (SPIN) program.
With a passion for creating community and as a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Sarah sat on the Edinburgh University Women in STEM Society committee for three years, the final year as president, co-founded a beginner-oriented hackathon, and co-authored two reports on DEI topics. In her professional career she continues to advocate for DEI in the workplace. Sarah is a passionate supporter of using technology for good and is excited about the impact she can have in the Aerospace industry.
Avani Gupta is from India. She was born in Uttar Pradesh and spent her childhood in Andhra Pradesh. Ever since she was a little girl, Avani took a zealous interest in anything related to airplanes and wanted to be an aerospace engineer when she grew up. She graduated high school from Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram, New Delhi in 2013 and started as an undergraduate aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech in the fall of 2013. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in December 2016 and her Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering in August 2019. During her time as a graduate student, she interned in France within the Modeling and Simulation Department of Safran, Paris-Saclay and worked on the computational simulation of turbomachinery components, specifically axial compressors. She continued her research on the computational modeling of ice accretion, under the guidance of Dr. Lakshmi N. Sankar at Georgia Tech in collaboration with the US Army and NASA Glenn, for her doctoral studies and received her Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering in December 2021. She currently works as an aerodynamics engineer at the Turbomachinery Department at Linde Inc. in Tonawanda, NY.
Simran is a rising senior at The University of Alabama majoring in Aerospace Engineering and minoring in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics. She is a 2022 Brooke Owens Fellow interning at Planet in the Spacecraft Qualification and Systems Engineering teams. Previously, she worked at Wisk Aero, an eVTOL company designing the tilt rotor mechanism as a 2021 Zed Factor Fellow. She has been a part of Alabama Rocketry Association for 3 years and led the Spaceport America Cup team last year as the Project Manager. This year, she will be leading the entire team as the President. Being an international student in aerospace, and a minority in the Nepali aerospace industry, she is extremely passionate about building communities, uplifting, and empowering minorities, and DEI. She serves as a DEI Co-chair for Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics and founded WoAA chapter in Nepal to advocate for female representation in Nepali STEM fields.
Caroline is a Ph.D. Candidate and NSF GRFP Fellow at Columbia University in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, where she studies how climate change is leading to larger forest fires in the western United States, using remote sensing and big datasets. She is motivated by her passion to increase access to opportunities in STEM and dedicates her free time to mentoring students and volunteering for outreach and diversity initiatives in the aerospace and Earth science communities. She leads the Brooke Owens Fellowship as part of the Executive Team, a nonprofit program that matches young women and other gender minority undergraduate students with competitive aerospace company internships and mentorship annually. She is also a Steering Committee member of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Geosciences (AAPIiG), and co-founded SpaceInterns.org (a platform for aerospace-related resources and an opportunities database). She received her Bachelors of Arts in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard University.
As a South Korean international student and a queer person, Judy is passionate about providing support to underrepresented minorities in Aerospace.
They serve as the chair of the International Women of Aeronautics & Astronautics (WoAA), which is a committee of AIAA the largest professional aerospace organisation in the world. Judy (She/They) is an aerospace engineering Master's student at Virginia Tech researching plasma-material interaction.
Prior to their graduate studies, they were a System Performance Engineer at Cummins and an astrodynamics intern at Morpheus Space. They graduated from Purdue University with Bachelor’s degrees in both aeronautical and astronautical engineering and mathematics. Judy was a 2021 AIAA Diversity Scholar and a 2022 Zed Factor Fellow.
Outside of Aerospace, Judy accepts art commissions as a freelance artist and enjoys weightlifting.
Sophie is 21 years old and has been working in the hospitality industry since age 14. She started at McDonalds and made her way to some of the top restaurants in the world including 3 Michelin star restaurant 'Restaurante Azurmendi' in Spain, 3 Michelin star restaurant 'The Fat Duck' in the UK and 2 Michelin Star restaurant 'Gaggan Anand Restaurant' in Thailand. I talk to Sophie about wellness in Michelin starred kitchens and what we can do to communicate more compassionately in our workplaces.
Lorena is a founder, community leader, Keynote Speaker, Forbes Fellow and passionately supports those changing the world for the better.
As a CEO with clients located across the world, current Harvard Graduate Student focusing on Corporate Sustainability, and former participant in Microsoft for Startup Accelerator partner programs, she shares her POV, opinion and lessons learned on social media when it comes to Corporate Sustainability in science, tech, healthcare and finance. She’s currently obsessed with Sustainable Finance & the role it will play in our collective sustainable development journey.
Lorena is your typical multi-passionate optimistic friend & Boardroom Activist who believes in holding companies accountable while addressing Corporate Sustainability problems at their root. You can find her bouldering at a gym or exploring the beautiful PNW when she’s not in digital boardrooms supporting Science & Tech executives implement & drive organizational change management to aid in their company’s transition to a socially responsible organization.
Instagram: @girlchangetheworld
Twitter: @lorenasoriano__
TikTok: @girlchangetheworld
Sophia joined Blue Origin on April 1st, 2019 as a BE-4 engine Test Operations Engineer in Van Horn, TX before transitioning to BE-4 Propulsion Test Manager in 2021. Recently, she moved to Seattle and joined the BE-3U engine team as a Customer Engineer supporting engine coordination efforts with launch vehicles.
In 2018 Sophia graduated from Johns Hopkins University with dual degrees in Physics and Applied Mathematics. She received the 2018 Brooke Owens Fellowship with summer internship placement on the Sales, Marketing, and Customer Experience team at Blue. She has previously interned at NASA HQ in the ISS Division, at SpaceX with Crew and Mission Management, and at the Space Telescope Science Institute performing Hubble instrumentation research.
Jeanette Quinlan is Senior Program Manager at SpaceLink Corporation, a company building a satellite relay system that provides continuous, high- capacity communications for spacecraft on orbit. In this role, she oversees all of SpaceLink’s NASA and Civil government program activity, working closely with the SpaceLink team of engineers, managers, executives, and industry partners. She founded the Bay Area Women in Space and Aerospace, a quarterly speaker series promoting diversity and creating opportunities for women in the Aerospace industry to build their professional networks.
Jeanette has 17 years experience in the space industry, with roles as Engineer, Director, Consultant, Startup Advisor, and Program Manager. Prior to joining SpaceLink, Jeanette was the Director of Space Systems at Akash Systems, a startup developing a new material, GaN-on-Diamond, for Aerospace applications. Before joining Akash, she managed the U.S. operations of Starburst Aerospace Accelerator, connecting traditional aerospace prime contractors with startups. Jeanette spent the first 11 years of her career as a Thermal Engineer in the satellite industry. Over that period of time she worked at OneWeb, Space Systems Loral (now Maxar), and ITT (now L3Harris). Jeanette has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.
Jeanette lives in San Francisco, California with her husband, 1.5 year old son, and cat.
Dr. Magnus is a former NASA Astronaut and an Astronaut Hall of Fame recipient. Her election to the Hall of Fame came a week after she was named to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions awarded to an engineer. She is the Principal at AstroPlanetview, LLC and has served as the Deputy Director of Engineering in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for the Undersecretary of Research and Engineering, and the former Executive Director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the world’s largest technical society dedicated to the global aerospace profession. Prior to leading AIAA, Dr. Magnus was a member of the NASA Astronaut Corps for 16 years where she flew to space thrice and most recently on the last Space Shuttle flight.
Dr. Magnus attended the Missouri University of Science and Technology, graduating in 1986 with a degree in physics and earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering in 1990. She received a Ph.D. from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1996.
Selected to the NASA Astronaut Corps in April, 1996, Dr. Magnus flew in space on the STS-112 shuttle mission in 2002, and on the final shuttle flight, STS-135, in 2011. In addition, she flew to the International Space Station on STS-126 in November 2008, served as flight engineer and science officer on Expedition 18, and returned home on STS-119 after four and a half months on board. Following her assignment on Station, she served at NASA Headquarters in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate. Her last duty at NASA, after STS-135, was as the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office.
Dr. Magnus has received numerous awards and honors, including the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and the 40 at 40 Award (given to former collegiate women athletes to recognize the impact of Title IX).
Karina Perez is the Director for Unmanned and Emerging Aviation Technologies at the Aerospace Industries Association. In this role, she works with AIA’s members regarding Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Urban Mobility, and Spectrum, among other areas, and works to find industry consensus on complex issues facing the aviation industry.
Karina is also the Co-Founder of Zed Factor Fellowship, an organization focused on providing internships to underrepresented communities in the aerospace industry.
In 2021, Karina was recognized by WIA with the Initiative, Inspiration, Impact Award for her bold advocacy for women and underrepresented communities in the aerospace industry while building consensus among policymakers and industry to enable the next generation of flight.
As a multicultural and queer woman of colour, Shireen is passionate about leading and supporting sustainable improvements of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in STEM. She is currently a DEI chair for Women of Aeronautics and Astronautics under AIAA the world’s largest Aerospace professional organization, and has held leadership positions at the Society of Women Engineers at Georgia Tech.
Shireen is currently working at Boeing’s subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences as a Systems Engineer on electric and autonomous aircraft programs. Shireen’s breadth of STEM experiences range from space debris mitigation and policy, to collaborations with the European Space Agency on bioastronautics and with the FAA and NASA on MBSE-enabled certification streamlining for noise and electric propulsion.
Shireen obtained her Masters in Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech in the United States, and her Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. Today, she continues to work towards normalising a safe and welcoming industry-wide culture that empowers minorities to reach their full potential.
Maya is a PhD candidate in the Aerospace Engineering department at MIT, working on the Mars Oxygen ISRU Experiment (MOXIE) for NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. A native of Lebanon, she received her acceptance to MIT at the age of 16. Featured on the New York Times and as a TED talk speaker for her advocacy, Maya is passionate about increasing global representation and access in the space sector and bringing awareness to nationality-based discrimination in career opportunities for foreign nationals. She is the Policy Lead for the Space Generation Advisory Council Taskforce on US Space Policy and part of the Space Consortium at Harvard and MIT. Outside of MIT, she loves traveling around the world, painting, and writing Arabic poetry.
Khristian is currently an Interiors Engineer at United Airlines. She continues to advocate for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive industry in her role as Co-Founder and Executive member of the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, which empowers Black excellence in Aerospace. A graduate of the Aerospace Engineering program at Wichita State University, she aspires to make her mark on the Aerospace Industry by continuing to make air and space accessible to all. In her time away from work, Khristian aspires to be a role model and advocate for students of color that also have dreams of having careers in the Aerospace Industry as she believes that exposing students to STEM careers at an early age assists students to know all the career opportunities out there.