• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2025

• Washington State University Tri-cities, Electrical Engineering, ‘25

• Host Institution: Blue Origin

• Mentor: TBD

• Brookie Mentor: TBD

Breanna Blair is a senior studying Electrical Engineering with a focus in Controls and Systems at Washington State University Tri-cities (WSU-TC). Breanna is a first generation college student who loves to explore the outdoors and is passionate about space exploration. She grew up building Legos and thoroughly enjoyed her math and science courses which ignited her passion for engineering. In her career, she hopes to combine her passion for space exploration, sustainability, and STEM outreach.

Breanna first started her engineering studies at Columbia Basin Community College. It was there she learned about the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program. After participating in the program and learning more about NASA's history and the ongoing efforts to build a human presence in space, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in the space industry. After graduating with her Associates degree, Breanna transferred to WSU-TC to continue her studies in Electrical Engineering.

Outside of school, Breanna has held several internships, which have allowed her to nurture her passion of space exploration and environmental sustainability. Over the summer of 2023, Breanna interned at the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center as a Lucy Mission Intern in Greenbelt, Maryland. In this role, she led the risk assessment and analysis of bending optical fiber in the Ocellus LiDAR instrument for the Dragonfly rotorcraft mission that will explore Saturn's moon, Titan. Breanna currently interns at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) where she assists with the research and development of energy harvesting devices for marine environments.

In addition to engineering, Breanna has participated in several extracurricular opportunities including the NASA LSPACE Mission Concept Academy (MCA) and the NASA Proposal Writing and Evaluation Experience (NPWEE). She also leads several student organizations on campus including the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student branch, and Hiking Club.

Breanna is also passionate about STEM outreach and mentorship. As a first generation college student, she has seen first hand how mentorship, representation, and community motivates individuals to pursue their dreams. On campus, Breanna serves as the President of SWE where she has helped organize various engineering events including speaker panels, fundraisers, tabling events, and sending students to conferences. Breanna was also fortunate to be a student fellow of the Women in STEM Education Network (WiSEN), an initiative that provides a co-mentoring network for underrepresented women in STEM.

When she's not studying, Breanna loves exploring the outdoors with her golden retriever and trusty sidekick named Maverick. She loves hiking, film photography, and building Legos. She is also a fierce advocate of chunky sweaters, sour candy, and indie rock.

As a 2025 Brooke Owens fellow, Breanna is excited to join Blue Origin in Kent, Washington as an Electrical System Engineering Intern. She is thrilled to join the Brookie community
and contribute to humanity's efforts to explore the stars!