Meet Wendy Okolo, first black woman to earn PhD in Aerospace Engineering
At just 36 years old, Wendy Okolo stands as a beacon of inspiration, shattering glass ceilings and redefining possibilities in aerospace engineering.
Her story is one of audacity, brilliance, and an unrelenting passion to change the world.
Wendy Okolo: A Trailblazer from the Start
Born in 1989 and raised in Nigeria, Okolo’s academic journey began at Saint Mary’s Primary School and Queen’s College in Lagos. From a young age, she excelled in her studies, earning straight A’s—a testament to her natural brilliance. But her path to engineering wasn’t initially self-directed. “My mom said I was going to become an engineer even before I knew what it was,” Okolo once recalled.
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Though she declared her intention to become an engineer early on, it wasn’t until her first semester at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) that she discovered her true calling: aerospace engineering.
Soaring to New Heights at NASA
Okolo’s career trajectory has been nothing short of extraordinary. She began as an undergraduate intern at Lockheed Martin, working on NASA’s Orion spacecraft. During two transformative summers, she gained hands-on experience in Systems and Mechanical Engineering, setting the stage for her future in aerospace innovation.
As a graduate student, she contributed to the Control Design and Analysis Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Today, she serves as a sub-project manager in the Intelligent Systems Division of NASA Ames Research Center, where she also conducts pioneering research in the Discovery and Systems Health Technology (DaSH) division.
A Woman of Many Firsts
Okolo’s groundbreaking work has earned her numerous prestigious accolades, cementing her place among the top minds in aerospace engineering. Some of her notable honors include: The Amelia Earhart Fellowship; The Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship (2012); The Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) Fellowship (2012, 2013); The AIAA John Leland Atwood Graduate Award (2013);NASA Ames Early Career Researcher Award (2019) – the first woman to receive it; NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal (2021); Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) for the Most Promising Engineer in the U.S. government; Named among the Most Influential People of African Descent (2021) by the United Nations.
Beyond her accolades, Okolo made her literary debut in June 2023 with her book Learn to Fly: On Becoming a Rocket Scientist. The book offers a glimpse into her journey and aims to inspire the next generation of aerospace engineers.
A Woman of Many Firsts
Okolo’s groundbreaking work has earned her numerous prestigious accolades, cementing her place among the top minds in aerospace engineering. Some of her notable honors include: The Amelia Earhart Fellowship; The Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship (2012); The Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC) Fellowship (2012, 2013); The AIAA John Leland Atwood Graduate Award (2013);NASA Ames Early Career Researcher Award (2019) – the first woman to receive it; NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal (2021); Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) for the Most Promising Engineer in the U.S. government; Named among the Most Influential People of African Descent (2021) by the United Nations.
Beyond her accolades, Okolo made her literary debut in June 2023 with her book Learn to Fly: On Becoming a Rocket Scientist. The book offers a glimpse into her journey and aims to inspire the next generation of aerospace engineers.
