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Courtney Leverenz

  • Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2020

  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Aerospace Engineering ‘21

  • Host Institution: The Spaceship Company

  • Mentor: Stephanie Luongo

Courtney Leverenz is currently majoring in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her interest in space exploration began after witnessing the night launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-131. In her subsequent high school years, she pursued opportunities to further her passion for spaceflight, including science fairs and winning a Space Camp scholarship!

Once she started at Illinois, she quickly got involved on campus with Illinois Space Society (ISS), a SEDS chapter dedicated to providing technical, professional, and educational outreach opportunities for students interested in space exploration. Within the society, she acted as the Administrative Director and led subteams for multiple NASA-sponsored technical projects such as Student Launch, Micro-g NExT, and RASC-AL. Besides technical projects, she likes to give back to the local community through educational outreach to inspire the next generation of astronauts, engineers, and scientists.

Thanks to her involvement in educational outreach, Courtney is working to enable the ability for anyone to learn about aerospace, including those with disabilities. Courtney is the organizer of S.O.L.A.R. Power (Space-Oriented Learning and EmPOWERment), an educational outreach event and curriculum specifically designed for individuals with disabilities. This event was inspired by Courtney’s sister who is diagnosed with Autism. S.O.L.A.R Power offers guidance and encouragement for all individuals to become involved with STEM and was presented at SciAccess, a science accessibility conference at the Ohio State University.

One of her favorite mottos is to never be afraid of trying new things, a mindset that’s come into play with her various internship experiences. She has created software documentation for Frasca International, modeled prototype plasma flow control actuators for CU Aerospace, performed testing on ground systems for launch vehicles at NASA Wallops Flight Facility, and designed components for the advanced space suit development team at NASA Johnson Space Center. 

As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Courtney will be interning this summer at The Spaceship Company, where she is excited to contribute to the future of human spaceflight!