The Fellowship pairs Black undergraduate students with the nation’s leading aerospace companies, providing an internship, mentors, and a scholarship.
Five Georgia Tech students, including four in the College of Engineering, have been selected for Patti Grace Smith Fellowships, which pair Black undergraduate students with the nation’s leading aerospace companies. Jalen Cauley (AE ’25), Justin Connors (AE ’25), Suraya John (AE ’25), Justin Pemberton (ME ’25), and Kay Perkins (PubP and HTS ’24) are among the 39 national honorees from 26 institutions.
The second-year program aims to increase diversity in the aerospace industry by providing exceptional Black undergraduate students with a competitive summer internship, a pair of mentors established in the aerospace industry, and a scholarship. The fellowship is available to first and second-year students who are looking for their first jobs in the industry.
Applicants were selected based on their academic achievements, creativity, passion for aerospace, and commitment to serving others.
The fellowship is named after Patti Grace Smith, a leader in the aerospace industry. During the civil rights movement, Smith was one of the first students to integrate Alabama public schools. She later became the head of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation and an important public figure in the AE community. The award was created in 2020 and follows the same model as the Brooke Owens Fellowship, but geared towards promoting Black excellence and visibility in aerospace.
For Jalen Cauley, his time at Georgia Tech has prepared him for this opportunity by teaching him to always look to the future. The first-year AE School student believes the fellowship will help him to find ways to use improvements in the space industry to enhance the well-being of those on Earth.
“At Tech, I’ve found that everything we learn here builds to something greater. I'm continuously thinking about the next, or how something can be improved,” said Cauley, who grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and will work at L3Harris Technologies this summer.
Justin Connors’ interest in making a lasting impact in the aerospace industry, specifically within the field of propulsion technology, led him to apply. The first-year AE School student from Alexandria, Virginia said he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to gain meaningful hands-on experience.
“With improved propulsion systems, we will be able to increase the scope of any future exploratory missions and uncover more amazing things about our universe,” said Connors, who will spend the summer at Airbus.
Suraya John was drawn to the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship because of its accessibility for aerospace students early in their educational career and its commitment to increasing Black representation in the industry. Through the program, she hopes to grow her professional network and gain valuable work experience.
“I hope that, as I learn and grow in the aerospace industry, others will realize how important my perspective is for many projects and the advancement of the industry overall,” said John, a first-year Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering (AE School) student from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who will work this summer at SpaceX.
Justin Pemberton, a freshman in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, will intern at Lynk Global, Inc. The Parkland, Florida native said the fellowship’s emphasis on community-building and connecting Black students with industry professionals and mentors were the main reasons he applied.
“As an Afro-Latino Engineering student, it sometimes felt discouraging to pursue a passion where someone like me is underrepresented,” said Pemberton. “I hope that my participation in this fellowship will influence other underrepresented engineering students to join the aerospace industry.”
Kay Perkins, a sophomore in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, plans to use the fellowship’s resources, specifically the internship portion, to explore the intersection between the law and space technology research. Perkins, originally of Atlanta, will intern at BryceTech this summer.
“Aerospace policy is a necessary field that is quickly expanding as our society continues to make progress in aviation technology,” said Perkins. “I want to help people understand these kinds of policies.”