What did it mean to you to receive the Astronaut Scholarship?

Receiving the Astronaut Scholarship in 2023 was one of the most affirming honors of my academic and professional journey. I was deeply grateful not only for the financial support, but also for what the scholarship represented: recognition of my drive, discipline, curiosity, and potential to contribute meaningfully to the future of science, technology, engineering, and innovation.

The scholarship allowed me to focus more fully on my coursework, internships, and research without the constant weight of the financial burden that often comes with pursuing a rigorous STEM degree. As a chemical engineering student at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA and a minor in Applied Mathematics, that support helped me remain focused on excellence while continuing to grow as a researcher, leader, and emerging professional.

Just as importantly, the Astronaut Scholarship validated my journey. It reminded me that the long nights, challenging coursework, research experiences, leadership roles, and sacrifices were building toward something larger than myself. To be selected as one of the nation’s top STEM scholars and welcomed into a lifelong community of astronauts, ASF alumni, innovators, and leaders was incredibly humbling. It gave me a renewed sense of responsibility to use my gifts boldly, serve others well, and help shape solutions that can improve the world.

What inspired you to pursue this career and type of STEM field?

My love for STEM began with math and science. From a very young age, those subjects felt natural to me. My grandmother, who was a college math professor, recognized my aptitude for math early and helped nurture my excitement for learning. Her encouragement helped instill in me a lifelong love for education.

That passion was further nurtured by my family, school, and community. In my high school’s National Society of Black Engineers Junior (NSBE Jr.) Chapter, I was exposed to the many branches of engineering which ultimately guided my decision on what to study in college. I have always wanted to help people, and chemical engineering felt like the perfect intersection of medicine, problem solving, chemistry, and service.

I chose chemical engineering because it is broad, rigorous, and versatile. It gave me the technical foundation to pursue opportunities across industries while allowing me to remain connected to my passion for healthcare. Over time, my experiences with Abbott, Eli Lilly, NASA Goddard, and Johnson & Johnson reinforced my interest in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. My internships exposed me to diagnostics, nutrition, active pharmaceutical ingredients, product development, quality, and operations, which strengthened my desire to contribute to systems that improve health outcomes.

Ultimately, I am inspired by the opportunity to use engineering to serve others. Whether through diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, nutrition, or quality systems, I want my work to help people live healthier, safer, and fuller lives.

Can you speak to some of the networking and professional development opportunities you have been a part of with ASF? What are some of the most valuable lessons and skills you gained from these opportunities?

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation has given me access to spaces where excellence, curiosity, and purpose are the standard. Through ASF, I have had the opportunity to attend the Astronaut Hall of Fame celebrations in 2024 and 2025, participate in the Innovators Symposium & Gala in 2023 and 2024, and engage with astronauts, corporate partners, alumni, mentors, and fellow scholars who are all committed to advancing science and technology.

One of the most meaningful parts of these experiences has been the opportunity to present and share my own work. I have been able to discuss my published research, “Do Masks Matter?”, which studied the effectiveness of and adherence to mask mandates in Greensboro, North Carolina, as well as share work from my senior design project, “Energy Optimization of 3G Bioethanol Production from Microalgae.” My research background also includes experience in biology, human factors engineering, and chemical engineering research at North Carolina A&T.

ASF has also allowed me to bring my full self into the community — not only as an engineer and scholar, but also as an artist. Singing with the ASF Scholar Choir and performing the national anthem have been especially meaningful because they allowed me to share another part of who I am. Those moments reminded me that STEM leaders are not one-dimensional. The scholars I have met through ASF are some of the most multifaceted, talented, and well-rounded people I have ever encountered.

The most valuable lesson I have gained is to be bold and confident in my capabilities. ASF places you in rooms with astronauts, executives, researchers, entrepreneurs, and world-changing innovators. At first, those rooms can feel intimidating. But over time, I learned that I belonged there — not because I had all the answers, but because I had the curiosity, preparation, resilience, and purpose to contribute. ASF has strengthened my ability to network with authenticity, communicate my story with confidence, and recognize that innovation requires both technical excellence and human connection.

How has the ASF Community (Astronauts, Mentors, Corporate Partners, ASF Alumni, etc.) supported you and been there for you on your professional journey?

The ASF Community has poured into me in ways that continue to shape how I see myself and my potential. Through astronauts, mentors, corporate partners, alumni, and fellow scholars, ASF has surrounded me with people who consistently challenge me to think bigger, act bolder, and pursue excellence with purpose.

The community has reminded me that being extraordinary is not about perfection — it is about courage, consistency, service, and the willingness to keep growing. Leaders such as Astronaut Joan Higginbotham, my North Carolina A&T National Scholarships and Fellowships Coordinator Alsace Gallop, and Adero Paige, NC A&T Astronaut Scholar ’04 and member of the ASF Board of Directors, have each modeled what it means to use success as a platform to uplift others. Their encouragement has helped give me the confidence to be bold and intentional in every opportunity I pursue.

Professionally, ASF has also expanded my understanding of what is possible. Being surrounded by people who have led space missions, advanced research, built companies, developed new technologies, and mentored the next generation has helped me see my own career as part of a larger legacy of innovation and service. The ASF Community has supported me not only by opening doors, but by helping me walk through them with confidence.

How did you first become connected with Johnson & Johnson? What role do you now hold at J&J?

I first became connected with Johnson & Johnson through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute in 2023. At the time, J&J was recruiting for its Global Operational Leadership Development, or GOLD, Program — a two-and-a-half-year, full-time rotational program for high-potential, early-career talent across the company’s global supply chain. The program appealed to me because it sits at the heart of J&J’s operations and supply chain, spans both MedTech and Innovative Medicine, and gives participants the opportunity to experience different areas of healthcare while developing the leadership skills and network needed to solve complex business challenges.

My first rotation was with DePuy Synthes in Supply Chain Project Management in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where I supported the ASPEN digital spine robotic system launch. In that role, I helped advance serialization pathways for ASPEN product labels, supported production build readiness, and facilitated cross-functional work across labeling, R&D, engineering, regulatory affairs, and quality engineering.

My second rotation was as an Enterprise Quality Compliance Engineer in Raritan, NJ supporting inspection readiness, audit readiness tools, robust responses to audit observations, and compliance metrics across One Ethicon sites. I now serve as a Quality Operations Engineer in Dallas, TX supporting J&J’s Aesthetics and Reconstruction business, where I help ensure product and operational quality for tissue expanders and mammary implants. In this role, I am able to combine my passion for healthcare, quality, engineering, and patient impact in a field that directly supports people’s lives and well-being.

Through your work and contributions to science, what difference do you hope to make or change you hope to see?

Through my work and contributions to science, I hope to help build healthcare systems, technologies, and products that are more effective, equitable, and accessible. My long-term goal is to contribute to innovations that improve disease prevention, diagnostics, treatment, and quality of care.

I hope to make a difference by bridging technical excellence with human impact. As engineers and scientists, we often work behind the scenes — developing processes, improving systems, validating methods, analyzing data, ensuring quality, and solving problems before they reach the patient or customer. But that work matters. It determines whether products are safe, reliable, effective, and available when people need them most.

In my current path in healthcare, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and quality operations, I want to help ensure that innovation does not stop at invention. True impact happens when ideas are translated into sustainable, high-quality products and systems that reach patients and improve lives. My experiences in research, internships, and industry have shown me that science is most powerful when it is paired with service, collaboration, integrity, and a deep sense of responsibility.

The change I hope to see is a future where more people — regardless of background, geography, or circumstance — can benefit from scientific advancement. I also hope to help expand representation in STEM so that more young people, especially women and students from underrepresented communities, can see themselves as innovators, engineers, researchers, and leaders. My goal is not only to contribute to better products and better systems, but also to help create pathways for the next generation to dream bigger, lead boldly, and serve the world through STEM.

What are your hopes for the next classes of Astronaut Scholars? What advice do you have for them as they network with companies and head into industry?

My hope for the next classes of Astronaut Scholars is that they fully understand the magnitude of the community they are entering. The Astronaut Scholarship is not only an award — it is an invitation into a lifelong network of people who believe deeply in the power of science, innovation, leadership, and service. I hope future scholars take full advantage of that community and allow it to stretch their vision of what is possible.

My advice is to be bold, prepared, and authentic. When networking with companies, do not simply ask about open roles — ask thoughtful questions about impact, culture, innovation, leadership, and the problems the organization is trying to solve. Corporate partners are not only looking for impressive resumes; they are looking for people who can think critically, communicate clearly, collaborate across functions, and bring purpose to their work.

I would also encourage scholars to tell their stories with confidence. Your research, internships, leadership roles, personal background, and lived experiences all matter. They shape how you approach problems and how you lead. Do not minimize the path that brought you here. Instead, learn how to connect your story to the needs of the organization and the impact you hope to make.

Finally, remain curious. Industry moves quickly, and the most effective leaders are those who continue learning, asking questions, receiving feedback, and building relationships across disciplines. Technical excellence may open the door, but humility, communication, adaptability, and integrity will sustain your impact once you enter the room.

Is there anything additional you would like to share with our corporate partners and supporters?

To ASF’s corporate partners: thank you for investing in the future innovators of the world. Your support does more than provide financial assistance — it creates access, confidence, community, and opportunity for students who are preparing to solve some of the most complex challenges facing our society.

Because of your investment, scholars are able to pursue rigorous coursework, conduct meaningful research, participate in internships, attend professional development events, and build relationships with leaders who help shape their future. You are not only supporting individual students; you are helping build a pipeline of scientists, engineers, physicians, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders who will influence the future of healthcare, space exploration, sustainability, technology, and beyond.

I am grateful for your belief in us. Your support reminds scholars that our ideas matter, our work has value, and our potential is worth investing in. I hope you see every Astronaut Scholar as a return on that investment — not only through our individual careers, but through the communities, industries, and lives we will impact along the way.

*Interview from Quarter 2 Corporate Newsletter