Meet future astronautics leader Courtney Baker ’27, a mechanical engineering major with a concentration in aerospace engineering. As a Class of ’25 fellow in the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship (PGSF), she had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the organization’s annual summit in July.
At the summit, fellows gathered to network and champion the mission of Patti Grace Smith — to drive meaningful change within the aerospace industry.
Join Baker as she reflects on her experience, dives into all things NASA and aerospace, and shares the valuable insight she’ll carry forward into her career.
Wednesday
July 16: I flew in from my internship with Astroscale in Denver and touched down in Washington, D.C.! After a kickoff meeting with the other fellows, we broke off into groups to prepare for PGSF’s aerospace-themed mock Shark Tank that would take place only a few short days later.
Thursday
July 17: We had an incredible, behind-the-scenes tour of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. My favorite part was definitely seeing the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope being assembled in the cleanroom. I was able to see the testing highbay, which was especially cool because as an intern at my host company, Astroscale, I worked on the assembly, integration, and testing of spacecraft this past summer. Dr. John Mather, an accomplished astrophysicist, gave us a speech from inside the Space Communications and Navigation room!
At the University of Maryland, we had our second project session before listening in on Dr. Michaelyn Thomas, program manager of National Security Space Programs at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, discussing her career in the industry. The night ended with dinner alongside Patti Grace Smith’s family, where we listened to stories about her character, life, and legacy as a trailblazer.
Friday
July 18: My day started at Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus with a third project session and a meeting with Charles Bolden, former NASA administrator and astronaut; General Lester L. Lyles, NASA Advisory Council chairman; Dr. Sian Proctor, NASA solar system ambassador and former astronaut; and Greg Robinson, former director of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Program.
That evening, there was a banquet celebrating the fifth year of the fellowship. Astronaut Victor Glover gave a wonderful speech, which was a full-circle moment for me since I had met him at the National Society of Black Engineers 50th Convention during the Boeing Flight Competition alongside my Lehigh team. I also ran into Alyssa Weeks Jenkins ’25 and Harrison Jenkins ’25, two accomplished engineers who graduated from Lehigh just this past spring. Harrison was actually a Class of 2022 PGSF fellow and served as the alumni coordinator for this year’s summit!
Saturday
July 19: At the Aerospace Industries Association, we presented our startup concept to investors at the mock Shark Tank event. My team pitched an innovative space debris removal technology, and I led the business portion of the presentation. It was really special because Harrison Jenkins and Alyssa Weeks Jenkins were there to cheer me on! After all five of the groups presented, the investor panel announced that my team had won first place!
Naia Butler-Craig, a Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech, gave a presentation about her research on electric propulsion. It was awesome meeting her in person after seeing her educational and inspiring TikTok videos the past few years. She lectured on her work as a NASA space technology graduate research fellow and gave valuable advice on how to navigate academics as an aerospace engineering student.
The night ended with a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, games, and time to chat with the other fellows.
Sunday
July 20: The last day of the summit! All of the fellows attended a pinning ceremony to officially induct us into the PGSF. Afterward, there was a Friends of Patti panel where aerospace professionals who were close to Patti shared stories about what it was like working alongside her. The summit ended with parting remarks from the executive team, a group photo to commemorate the experience, and lots of hugs.
I’m so thankful I got the opportunity to participate in PGSF. Through the fellowship, I had my first paid aerospace internship, attended this summit, made connections, and really grew in the aerospace industry. Thanks for tuning into my experience!
Yours truly,
Courtney Baker ’27
Mechanical Engineering (Concentration in Aerospace Engineering)
