Zenith Fellow, Class of 2022
University of Alberta, Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
Host Organization: Sinclair Interplanetary by Rocket Lab
Mentor: Dr. Shawna Pandya

Ever since she was young, Makenna has dreamed of exploring amongst the stars. She is an aspiring astronaut currently pursuing her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Alberta.

Makenna is passionate about diversifying STEM and the space industry by representing and encouraging women and minorities. Through her student team outreach efforts through conferences and activities with youth, she hopes to encourage others to shoot for the stars. After completing her engineering degree, she hopes to complete a master's in a space field such as astrobiology where she can use her technical experience to study how life can flourish outside our earth.

Makenna is an assistant project manager for the Stratospheric Balloon Competition (CAN-SBX) at SEDS (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) Canada, where she helps teams conduct experiments on high altitude balloon launches. At her school, she is part of AlbertaSAT, a CubeSat team currently working on a mission to use satellite imaging to monitor and research wildfires. She is also the project manager for Mission SpaceWalker, a team she created to study electro-adhesion for robotics in microgravity as part of the CAN-RGX competition. The team hopes to fly their experiment this summer on a Falcon 20 with the National Research Council and Canadian Space Agency.

Outside of school, Makenna is involved in various sports and dreams of being the first person to dunk on the moon. She is often found playing basketball during her free time or taking part in volleyball intramurals. She recently received her blue belt in jiu-jitsu and enjoys training at her local gym. Music is one of her creative outlets where she plays a variety of instruments including ukulele and piano and occasionally writes her own songs.

During her past work term, Makenna worked at Forward Robotics, a drone company in Cambridge Ontario. With a strong desire to learn new things, Makenna obtained technical experience in mechanical, software, and electrical engineering, and found a passion for creating and innovating. She hopes to continue expanding her knowledge through her position at Sinclair Interplanetary by Rocket Lab, and is excited to work with a company directly involved in space innovation. Makenna is thrilled to be part of the first class of Zenith Fellows as she follows her ambitions in space exploration.