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Monica KIM

  • Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2020

  • University of Washington, Aerospace Engineering, ‘21

  • Host Institution: The Aerospace Corporation

  • Mentor: Diana Trujillo

Monica Kim is a non-traditional student who returned to school after serving our National Parks as a trail maintenance technician for seven years. Throughout her service, Monica honed her skills as a chainsaw operator, a traditional woodworker, and a high-tension rigging specialist. She utilized these skills to source raw materials from the land and turn them into bridges, foot logs, and other trail structures. In recent years Monica served as a historic preservationist, restoring the early 20th century cabins that dot the shores of the Elwha River in Olympic National Park. Through her work, Monica developed an intuition for the analysis of physical systems and a passion for engineering.

Currently, Monica is a Senior in the Aerospace Engineering program at the University of Washington. She is the Manufacturing lead at the University of Washington Formula Motorsports team (UWFM) where she is responsible for developing a diverse team of machinists and manufacturing engineers. Monica uses her role at UWFM to promote diversity and inclusivity, encouraging new engineers to develop their interests and get outside their comfort zone.

Professionally, Monica is passionate about dynamical systems and GNC. As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Monica worked with the Guidance Analysis team at The Aerospace Corporation to develop a telemetry data processing tool for flight margin verification. This tool is used to perform GNC and statistical analysis on simulation data as well as day-of launch data. Monica enjoyed the opportunity to learn about SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle and the role of flight verification in the launch industry.

Monica is a purpose-driven person and believes that space exploration holds the keys to a brighter future. She is committed to improving representation for people like herself and hopes to serve as a role model for other non-traditional students. As an alum, Monica enjoys staying active within the fellowship and helping to push the needle toward a more inclusive aerospace industry.

In her free time, Monica enjoys skill-based sports such as skiing, surfing, climbing, and swimming.