• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2023

• University of Washington, Aero and Astro Engineering, ‘23

• Host Institution: Loft Orbital

• Mentor: Stephanie Luongo

• Brookie Mentor: TBD

Caleigh is graduating from the University of Washington (UW) in June of 2023 with a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering and minors in diversity and math. As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Caleigh is excited to be working at Loft Orbital in Golden, CO. After her internship with Loft, she will be going on to work full time at Blue Origin as a Manufacturing Engineer in their new graduate rotation program.

Caleigh’s passion for engineering started when she attended a camp promoting STEM careers for young girls, and she had the opportunity to learn the basics of the engineering problem solving process, as well as talk with two civil engineers. In high school, the astronomy unit in her AP physics class sparked her passion for space and space exploration. Her excitement has only grown as she joined clubs and activities at UW and learned more about how she can make an impact within the aerospace industry.

One of Caleigh’s goals is to change the perception of who an engineer is and to break down the stereotypes that exist. She has worked as a part of the UW chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) middle and high school outreach to inspire other young girls to pursue careers in engineering through developing and teaching engaging engineering lessons. Caleigh has also completed a minor in diversity, where she has taken classes that have helped her engage in discussions regarding the experience of minorities in engineering, and how to develop a more inclusive environment. She plans to continue to advocate for herself and other minorities in engineering as she enters the industry full time.

In addition to SWE, Caleigh joined UW’s Design Build Fly (DBF) team during her freshman year. DBF is a competitive engineering team that works to design, manufacture, and test remote-controlled aircraft for the annual DBF competition. Caleigh has served as the Chief Engineer of the team for two years now, helping with all aspects of the engineering process and integration of aircraft components. She has also been a major part in the team’s advancement of composite material design and fabrication. Caleigh has applied the skills gained from DBF in two internships with Janicki Industries, as a Manufacturing Engineer, and SpaceX, as a Development Test Engineer.