25 ZENITH FELLOWS JOIN THE CLASS OF 2024 OF CANADA’S SPACE FELLOWSHIP

March 12th, 2024

OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 12th 2024 The Zenith Canada Pathways Foundation (ZCPF) — a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in Canada’s space sector – has selected its third annual Class of Zenith Fellows consisting of students and recent graduates from across Canada to participate in the Zenith Fellowship program, helping them take steps to becoming active members of the Canadian space community.

Applicants from 24 institutions across North America underwent a rigorous selection process after the closure of applications on October 20th, 2023. The Zenith Fellows were selected for their outstanding commitment to community service, excellent leadership and technical skills, and passion for contributing to the Canadian space sector. Following the selection process, the Zenith Fellowship application review committee selected 25 finalists to join the Class of 2024. These finalists completed interviews with 8 Host Organizations from within the Canadian space sector, resulting in the final Class of 2024, containing 10 Zenith Fellow Interns and 15 Zenith Fellow Mentees. Zenith Fellow Interns will complete a 4-month internship with the Host Organization that selected them after the final interview stage. Alongside the Zenith Fellow Mentees, the Zenith Fellow Interns will be mentored by a leader in the industry, engage in professional development programming, and participate in community building activities throughout the year. The program provides opportunities to Canadians seeking careers in space with a focus on underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, so this model allows for ZCPF to provide more opportunities for career development outside of the internship portion.

ZCPF is grateful to work with these Host Organizations who align with the organization’s mission to sustain and retain talent in, and support diversity across Canada. They are:

ZCPF will host the third annual Zenith Fellowship Summit in Montreal this summer to bring together the new class and alumni. During the summit, the Fellows will meet with their peers, network with professionals across the Canadian space industry, and expand their knowledge of the space community through seminars and panels. In previous years, Fellows have had the opportunity to tour the Canadian Space Agency, meet astronauts, and work together to develop recommendations for the Canadian federal budget with a focus on space. As the Class of 2024, they will join the community of Zenith Fellows currently consisting of 43 alumni and become new role models for the next generation of Canadian space explorers.

Board of Directors, Zenith Canada Pathways Foundation

The 2024 Zenith Fellow Interns are:

  • Ashley Lomibao from Barrie, Ontario who holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science, Majoring in Aerospace at the University of Toronto. Ashley will intern at Sinclair Interplanetary by Rocket Lab in Toronto, Ontario.

  • Casey Krombein from Vancouver, British Columbia who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Physics at the University of British Columbia. Casey will intern at the Canadian Space Mining Corporation in Montreal, Quebec.

  • Emily Hu from Vancouver, British Columbia who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology. Emily will intern at the Canadian Space Mining Corporation in Toronto, Ontario.

  • Kristen Di Loreto from North York, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University. Kristen will intern at NordSpace in Markham, Ontario.

  • Melanie Phillips from Calgary, Alberta who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering Physics at Queen’s University. Melanie will intern at Sinclair Interplanetary by Rocket Lab in Toronto, Ontario.

  • Nikhil Srivastava from Ottawa, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering, Specializing in Space Systems Design at Carleton University. Nikhil will intern at Stratotegic in Kingston, Ontario.

  • Rosalind Liang from Toronto, Ontario who holds a Double Major in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Neuroscience at the University of Toronto. Rosalind will intern at Wyvern Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta.

  • Ryan McPherson from Ottawa, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering, Specializing in Space Systems Design at Carleton University. Ryan will intern at Euroconsult in Montreal, Quebec.

  • Sharanjit Virdi from Langley, British Columbia who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science, Computer Engineering at Simon Fraser University. Sharanjit will intern at Mission Control in Ottawa, Ontario.

  • Sofiia Savchyn from Toronto, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto. Sofiia will intern at t0.technology in Montreal, Quebec.

The 2024 Zenith Fellow Mentees are:

  • Adam Lam from Scarborough, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Major in Mathematics and Minor in Computer Science and Spanish at the University of Toronto.

  • Adara Hagman from Markham, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Environmental Science at York University.

  • Ashley Ferreira from Toronto, Ontario who holds a Bachelor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo.

  • Diba Alam from Markham, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science, Majoring in Machine Intelligence at the University of Toronto.

  • Elsa Luzinga Lange from Ottawa, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, with Engineering in Management and Entrepreneurship at the University of Ottawa.

  • Eshaa Chenthuran from Markham, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto.

  • Isabella Feagan from Goderich, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering & Society at McMaster University.

  • Kaitlyn Hessel from Invermere, British Columbia who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Astrophysics at McMaster University.

  • Megan Greenwood from Calgary, Alberta who holds a Bachelor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of British Columbia.

  • Netra Patel from Winnipeg, Manitoba who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Calgary.

  • Nora Dawood from L’Orignal, Ontario who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at the Okanagan School of Engineering, University of British Columbia.

  • Sumaiya Abedin from Montreal, Quebec who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering at Concordia University.

  • Sy Tuan Khang Ho from Saigon, Vietnam who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering at Carleton Engineering.

  • Tassneem Hamed from London, Ontario who holds a Bachelor of Astrophysics and Studio Art at the University of Western Ontario.

  • Navi Ravikularam from Vancouver, British Columbia who is currently pursuing a Bachelors of Applied Science in Sustainable Energy Engineering at Simon Fraser University.

The ZCPF appreciates the support of analogous US-based Fellowships on which the Zenith Fellowship is modeled: the Brooke Owens Fellowship, the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship and the Zed Factor Fellowship.

“Building upon our success since 2020, we have increased our reach across Canada, welcoming 8 Host Organizations this year to provide internship opportunities to our cohort and continuing to expand the impact of our program. We are proud to be able to reach new heights with our partnership with the Aurelia Institute and Space-Canada this year, and strengthen our international collaboration with four of our alumni becoming Brooke Owen’s Fellows to further develop their careers in the space industry.”

– Zenith Canada Pathways Team