• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2024

• Illinois Institute of Technology, M.S. Autonomous Systems and Robotics, ‘25

• Illinois Institute of Technology, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, ‘25

• Host Institution: Draper Laboratory

• Mentor: Kjell Lindgren

• Brookie Mentor: Emily Matteson

Naia is a senior at the Illinois Institute of Technology where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a Master’s in Autonomous Systems and Robotics.

Her fascination with space took flight when she was able to witness the final Space Shuttle launch in 2011, sparking a curiosity and excitement that continue to drive her ongoing pursuits. Exploring her interests have taken her through ventures in sustainability, building STEM education programs, and all-things aerospace! Her path towards engineering began in high school through her involvement in FIRST and robotics-based community projects. It wasn’t until a NASA program internship that Naia's trajectory towards space solidified, converging all of her interests. With dreams of becoming an astronaut, space exploration has become her calling.

University has provided a blend of discovery including technical research and global exploration, studying abroad in Spain and Ireland. Naia is part of her university’s XPRIZE Rainforest finalist team, Welcome to the Jungle, where she competed in Singapore during the semifinals. She developed the water sampling module and is currently working on verifying the signal booster to increase telemetry range. She has also joined the Navigation Lab to further delve into her newfound interest in GN&C, where she is researching GNSS spoofing detection methods.

Her professional journey encompasses diverse roles—a Project Engineering intern at Dimension Inx, a Mechanical Design Intern at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and a Payload Integration Intern at Boeing on NASA’s ISS program. In her latest role, she developed an automatic data processing program and supported real-time payload mission operations. Grateful for these experiences, Naia is looking forward to applying what she has learned to her future endeavors.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Naia loves the outdoors as she grew up surfing and hiking, enjoys bouldering, graphic design, travel, and running.

As a Brooke Owens Fellow, Naia is excited to spend the summer at Draper Laboratory!