• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2021

• University of Notre Dame, Aerospace Engineering, Economics, ‘22

• Host Institution: Zipline

• Mentor: Yajaira Sierra-Sastre

• Brookie Mentor: Josefina Salazar

Estefy is a 4th year pursuing a dual degree in Aerospace Engineering and Economics at the University of Notre Dame. Estefy has always had a passion for all things aerospace. She is constantly pushing herself out of her comfort zone and seeking new challenges.

Estefy’s interest in engineering was inspired at a young age by her parents. Their entrepreneurial spirit and constant questioning of how the world works instilled in her the sense of wonder, discovery and introspection. What was initially a broad interest for science slowly turned into a passion for space. Stargazing from her roof became a late night family tradition and her bookshelf filled with astronaut memoirs.

Since her freshman year, Estefy has participated in the Notre Dame Rocketry Team. This team competes in the NASA Student Launch Initiative in Huntsville Alabama every year. Estefy has served as both the Vehicle and Payload team lead, which has given her the opportunity to work on a wide variety of engineering challenges. Between classes, Estefy works for the Sara Bea Disabilities Center as a sighted guide and a teaching assistant. She also enjoys different artistic pursuits whenever she has some time to space. Her work has been published in the cover of the Juggler magazine, displayed in the Duncan Student Center, and used as the artwork for SpaceVision 2020.

During her summer, Estefy has explored different engineering disciplines from software engineering to product design. The latter being where she found her passion. After college, Estefy aspires to work towards using cutting edge technology for good either by going into industry or by starting her own company. She believes that her dual degree will allow her to contribute beyond her job description while she strives to keep learning.

As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Estefy will spend the summer of 2021 working at Zipline in South San Francisco, CA.