The journey was in brilliant color, right in front of Therese Malinowski.

The deep blues of a graduation cap and gown, the black of space with a rich yellow sun, the nuanced blue and green depths of the Earth, the multi-colored flag representing diversity.

Therese Malinowski

The task of drawing a comic to detail how she’d make a better life for others by working in the aerospace industry may have been Malinowski’s chosen medium to answer a multimedia essay on the Brooke Owens Fellowship application, but it became much more than that.

The process allowed the sophomore in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics to explore her motivations in space technology, which she found to be a fun way to learn more about herself and clarify her own career direction.

And, also, ultimately did much more than that.

After submitting the application — and that comic — Malinowski impressed in several rounds of interviews and got a call over winter break from one of the fellowship’s executive team members. Emily Calandrelli told Malinowski she’d earned a fellowship and landed a paid internship with Masten Space Systems.

“I was excited in the moment, but it was only in the minutes to come after the call for the gravity of how powerful being accepted into the program actually was,” Malinowski said. “The hardest part from that moment to now has really just been keeping quiet about all of it.”

On Jan. 27, 51 selections were revealed. Malinowski is the first Purdue Engineering student chosen since the inaugural class in 2017, when a pair of AAE students were in the cohort. The highly competitive fellowship received more than 1,000 applications for the 2022 class, according to a press release.

No wonder there was such a deluge of applications: The nationally acclaimed program that seeks to inspire and train exceptional undergraduate women and other gender minorities for careers in space and aviation offers 12-week paid internships, a senior mentorship and a lifelong professional network.

“This is a truly incredible opportunity, and I am deeply humbled to be part of this year’s Brooke Owens class,” Malinowski said.

Malinowski will start the internship with Masten Space Systems, an aerospace manufacturer startup in Mojave, California, in May. For the internship, Malinowski said she will be serving as a test engineer for the Xogdor rocket team, which is working on the development of a supersonic VTVL rocket. Malinowski said she’ll be aiding in the construction of test infrastructure, operating actual tests and troubleshooting and reconstructing as problems may arise.

“I’ve never interned before or really had much industry experience as a whole. This is going to be my first experience applying the engineering skills I’ve been developing at Purdue to a real-world engineering project,” she said. “I truly never imagined that my first internship would be something this amazing and fit my lifelong goals this well.

“I’m really excited about landing with Masten Space Systems. I will be working across propulsion, avionics and structures, which is truly great for me, as I am looking to explore which specific element of astronautical engineering I would like to focus on. One of the biggest perks of working with a smaller company is that they’re open to me assisting on a variety of different kinds of work, so I’m not locked in to just one role for the whole summer.”

Malinowski doesn’t yet know who her mentors will be, but she’s eager to connect.

When she first heard about the fellowship in AAE’s “Flight Plan” newsletter and dug deeper into the specifics, she quickly realized this wasn’t just about getting a job. The opportunity to build relationships with industry professionals was “unparalleled.”

“Everyone on the list of mentors has a really significant role in the industry. Connecting with professionals is an invaluable resource for navigating career paths, especially during college, because they’ve already navigated many challenges and ultimately found success and fulfillment in their work,” she said. “Speaking with them is incredibly motivating for my own career, but also being able to talk through my own challenges with someone who has already been through them is really valuable.”

Malinowski knows the entire network of “Brookies,” as they call themselves, will provide a tremendous asset as well.

Past AAE students have praised that vast resource network of peers as one of the true blessings of the program, having a community of women in aerospace that is quick to support and encourage in pursuit of dreams.

“I look forward to learning from the wisdom of my peers and feeling more confident in my validity as a female engineer as we help lead the next frontier in aerospace,” Malinowski said.