Applications are NOW Closed for the Class of 2024!
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO APPLIED!

First, before you contact the Exec Team or Brookie Alumni with questions, make sure you read through the entire Apply page below, check our Frequently Asked Questions, and read through our Brookie Guides or other helpful resources below. We’re thrilled you found us, and we can’t wait to read your application.

To review the kind of experiences and opportunities our Host Companies offer, learn more about our Host Institutions here!

TL;DR: HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION

In order to apply to be a Brooke Owens Fellow, you will need: a long essay, a creative piece, a transcript, a résumé, and two letters of recommendation. Read on for the key details about all of those things! To help you navigate each part:

1. WELCOME! Intro and application deadline

2. WHAT’S CHANGED FROM LAST YEAR? Hello new and returning applicants

3. CONFIRM: Eligibility

4. REQUEST: Letters of recommendation

5. GATHER: Resume, transcript

6. DECIDE: Host institutions

7. CREATE: Original essay and creative piece

8. WANT SOME HELP? Ask a Brookie, Applicant Slack, how-to guides, and office hours

9. SUBMIT TO THE APPLICATION PORTAL: Apply now!

You can also download all of the content below in Microsoft Word (.docx) and portable document format (.pdf) formats.

WELCOME!

Hello, friends new and old! We are excited that you are considering applying to become a Brooke Owens Fellow in our Class of 2024. Our industry needs more people exactly like you – and we are excited we might have the opportunity to help find you more success in this industry more quickly.

We’ve put a lot of thought into designing an application that recognizes that talent comes in many different forms and that people of all backgrounds deserve a better shot at being included, bringing their unique contributions, and thriving in the global aerospace business. Because we are explicitly trying to do things differently – more fairly, more thoroughly, and more cleverly – you will notice that our application process is quite different from most applications you may have previously filled out for jobs, scholarships, or fellowships. We ask you for the normal things you are used to submitting, but we also have a few unique requirements designed to help us identify the best possible candidates from all backgrounds. Because of those unique requirements, you will definitely want to read through this page and the related links thoroughly.

We use an online application submission process. But well before you access that portal, you should read this document and begin creating some original material, gathering some existing documentation, and deciding what kind of Fellowship experience interests you the most. This document will walk you through everything you’ll want to do.

You’ve got some time to think all of this through and to put forward your best effort – but it’s always best to start preparing your materials right away. This year, our application deadline is on October 7th, 2023.

WHAT’S CHANGED FROM LAST YEAR?

Are you a returning applicant? Awesome! We love to hear from applicants again, and experience can offer you a leg up. Many beloved members of our Brookie community made it into the program on their second, third, or even fourth try – and went on to be extremely successful in our program and beyond.

But be advised: a few things have changed from last year. After reviewing feedback from our community, we’ve made a few tweaks designed to further eliminate unconscious bias. Here are the main things to keep an eye out for as you review the application to join the Class of 2024:

• We are using a new application platform with Survey Monkey! Please use this guide for more information on how to use our new portal!

• Every year, we change about half our essay prompts; and this year is no exception. If you’ve already started working on an essay, check early to make sure that prompt is still available. And give a close read to the new prompts – you might find something that really inspires you!

• Our number of essays has stayed the same—the long essay and the multimedia essay are here to stay. We are constantly reevaluating our application parts to make sure our reviewers are getting to know you, and let you shine through the quality of your pieces!

• Our requirements for letters of recommendation remain the same, requiring two letters. Remember that there are resources available on our website if you want a little help figuring out how to go about getting excellent letters of recommendation.

Ready to apply? Let’s dive in!

1. CONFIRM: Eligibility

2. REQUEST: Two Letters of Recommendation

3. GATHER: Resume, Transcript (must include one semester of official grades)

4. DECIDE: Host Companies

5. CREATE: Original essays and creative piece

6. WANT SOME HELP? Ask a Brookie, Applicant Slack, how-to guides, and office hours

7. SUBMIT TO THE APPLICATION PORTAL: Apply now!

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO CONFIRM

If you are going to apply, all of the following things should be true. Please take a moment to confirm they are before you spend the time doing everything else! If you have more questions, check out our FAQ page or reach out to us!

You are an undergraduate student. You can be enrolled at any type of undergraduate institution: Community and Junior Colleges; Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Liberal Arts Colleges; Women's Colleges; Tribal Colleges; Technical Institutes and Professional Schools; and Public or Private Universities. You can be taking a year off. You can be pursuing a second Associates or Bachelors degree. You can be pursuing a dual degree. HOWEVER, YOU MUST HAVE ONE FULL SEMESTER OF YOUR PROGRAM UNDER YOUR BELT TO BE ELIGIBLE.

People of your gender are underrepresented in aerospace. If you are a cisgender woman, a transgender woman, non-binary, agender, bigender, two-spirit, demigender, genderfluid, genderqueer, or another form of gender minority, this program is for you.

You are available for full-time employment for a reasonable amount of time in the Summer of 2024. We define Summer quite loosely since every school is on a different schedule. We also know that some people have other commitments to family, school, or other jobs. But a core part of this Fellowship is providing a meaningful, demanding summer internship and a living wage, and you should be available to take on that challenge.

You are interested in pursuing a career in aerospace. You don’t have to have it all mapped out, nor is this a binding commitment. But a career in aerospace should be among your goals for the future; otherwise, you’d be taking a spot away from someone else who might need this shot to chase the career of their dreams.

If you find yourself ineligible for this program or are looking for more opportunities, we encourage you to check out our sister programs, the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, the Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program, the Zed Factor Fellowship, and the Zenith Canada Pathways Fellowship!

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO REQUEST FROM OTHERS

Getting to know any human being on the basis of a few sheets of paper is impossible. We need a lot more insight in order to really learn who you are, how we might be able to support you, and what you might contribute to one of our Host Institutions. One key way we do that is by asking folks who already know you to share their perspectives.

So, we need you to find two other human beings who will write us a letter all about you. Specifically, we want:

• One letter that focuses on your achievements, skills, and potential in achievement-oriented settings like jobs, classes, labs, certain clubs or extracurricular activities, and more.

• One letter that focuses on your character, creativity, and consistency in character-oriented settings like clubs, religious groups, family groups, and more.

These letters can be from absolutely anyone except for Brooke Owens Fellows. Please ask the people writing these letters to look out for an email from Survey Monkey with the link to submit their letter directly to our application portal. We recommend that you ask your recommenders in advance of inputting their information into Survey Monkey.

If you have never asked for a Letter of Recommendation before, don’t worry! You can use our Letter of Recommendation guide and our alumni have compiled some excellent advice on how to go about obtaining two meaningful letters that really reflect who you are as a person. Read on to the help section for more!

Both letters of recommendation should be submitted by our deadline, October 7th, 2023.

*You will be unable to submit your application until both letters of recommendation have been received.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO GATHER

Okay, this is the stuff that you are probably used to submitting alongside applications. It’s usually pretty easy to collect – why not start gathering this stuff now, just to be sure?

• Your latest résumé or CV. Double check it for typos. Have a friend read it. Have a different friend triple check it. Make sure you are listing everything that might make you a valuable teammate at an aerospace company – which very likely includes your clubs, side-hustles, and other projects in addition to your course work and any past jobs or internships.

• Your latest school transcript. We think it is downright crazy that universities charge their own students money to access official transcripts; accordingly, we will happily accept unofficial transcripts. Admittedly, it is possible that if you advance to the final stage of our selection process, our Hosts Institutions may require an official transcript – but even that is exceedingly rare. And by the way, if you’ve just started at a new school, feel free to send your latest transcript from your previous school. Your transcript must include at least one semester of official grades.

Keep all your files handy to upload to the application portal with your other materials!

HERE’S WHAT YOU’ll NEED TO DECIDE

One unique aspect of the Brooke Owens Fellowship is the way we match Fellows with jobs. You are probably used to applying to specific openings at specific companies or organizations, but that's not how we work. Instead, we gather an enormous volume of data from both hosts and applicants and then use that to set up specific interview pairings.

To do this, we'll need several inputs from you to help us understand what would make the most successful summer possible. On the application form, you'll notice that we ask you to rank a bunch of different job attributes—for example, do you care more about a company's culture or its mission? Are you looking for a specific set of experiences, or to be exposed to new things? No matter how much you might want to emphasize how much you value the “Pathway to a full time job”, please only put it in either the top, second, or third priority and not all three categories.

We will also ask you to indicate which of our Host Institutions appeal to you the most. Please keep in mind that you will be considered for matches with all of our hosts, not just the ones you indicate—and indeed, some of our greatest success stories have come from Fellows paired with companies they had never even heard of prior to applying.

We will be uploading our list of Host Companies for the class of 2024 in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, be sure to check back to select our 2023 Host Companies. Note that this list will continually update throughout the application process as we put the final touches on our 2024 Host Companies list, and some Hosts that aren’t on the list now may appear after the application period closes.

HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO CREATE

Okay, here’s where things get really interesting. 

Like we’ve said before, transcripts and résumés are useful sources of information, but limited. Letters of recommendation help, but only show us the perspective of other people. We find it most useful to learn about our candidates by asking them to create. 

Accordingly, as part of our application, we require you to create two original works. These two works are designed to help us learn more about three different facets of you as a potential Fellow: 1) your professional and academic interests, 2) your fundamental character and personal interests, and 3) your service and community mindset. The more we learn about you through your application, the better!

In addition to focusing on three different aspects of you, these two original works should come in two different formats, as a way to better show off your full range of skills and interests. 

Formats for Original Works: long essay and multimedia

Long Essay

Your first work will be a long essay of approximately 600 words. Again, in addition to the important content of your essay, this long essay form will help us see how you organize your thoughts around more complex topics and discussions.

Multimedia Essay

The second work will be something we've named the 'multimedia essay' – which means it will take essentially any format that isn't a written prose essay. Please feel free to choose the media that best reflects you, your interests, and your talents. Past Fellows have submitted poems, animations, written works of fiction, spoken word pieces, songs, graphic designs, comic books, and video monologues. We would, of course, love to be surprised.

Multimedia essay limitations: For the multimedia essay, the only limitations we have are the following: we cannot accept physical submission via snail mail or any other means; no software that isn’t more or less universally and freely available should be required to review your submission; and a member of our selection committee or a hiring manager at one of our Host Institutions must be able to review your submission within a five-minute window. Please make sure whatever you send us is in a format that our selection committee members will be able to access without needing special software or a password to access — and trust us, life will be much, much easier for all of us if you keep the file size for your submissions below 250 MB.

Before we get to the prompts, a few last logistical details. If you’ve sent your letter of recommendation requests through the Survey Monkey application portal, you can log in anytime to edit your application and upload the files you owe us — your résumé or CV, your transcript, and your two original works. Please note that each file must be smaller than 250 MB.

Got it? Now, let’s look at the prompts. Remember, your responses should be original works, created by you specifically for this application. Furthermore, every work should specifically address your chosen prompt. In fact, if possible, please include the prompt in your submission itself, just so we are 100% clear about what you are addressing.

Long Essay Prompts

1. What’s the biggest thing you’ve ever screwed up? What did you learn from it?

2. What projects have you started on your own? Why did you start them, and what did you learn?

3. Describe a major event in the aerospace industry that had an impact on you in some way and how it relates to your future aspirations in this industry" 

4. Ask Chat GPT, Bard, or a similar tool to write a short (<500) word essay about the balance between process and innovation in aerospace. Analyze the tools output and submit (via screenshots or via a PDF with changes tracked) your analysis of the write-up, identifying logical flaws, and missed points.

5. Ask Chat GPT, Bard, or a similar tool to write a short (<500) word essay about whether internship and mentorship programs that focuses on underserved groups are a net benefit for the aerospace industry as a whole. Analyze the tools’s output and submit (via screenshots or via a PDF with changes tracked) your analysis of the write-up, identifying logical flaws, and missed points.

Multimedia Essay Prompts

1. GPAs and college transcripts don’t paint a complete picture of a person. What else do we need to know about you?

2. If you have ever applied to the Brooke Owens Fellowship before, what do you think is the biggest way you have changed or grown since your last application?

3. There are many valuable talents, skills, and traits that aren’t taught in the classroom or workplace. What thing that you have learned outside of the classroom or workplace do you think will do the most to make you a better teammate at an aerospace company? In what way, and why?

4. Service comes in many forms. People can serve in many locations and at many different scales, from one's own home to the planet as a whole. And service can be meaningful and impactful whether the money or expertise involved is big or small. Which act of service that you have performed means the most to you and why?

5. The aerospace community is imperfect and includes community members and leaders who do not share our Fellowship’s views of how to treat ourselves and each other. How do you personally choose when to engage with those industry colleagues and leaders, when to ignore them, and when to push back?

   
   

WANT SOME HELP?

This application is meant to take some time, some thought, some heart, and some work. That’s how we can build a program that identifies top-tier talent without being elitist, how we can find incredible promise in people and in places that others (to their own detriment) sometimes overlook. 

We recognize that many of you may never have done anything quite like this. And we want to help. We’ve got a few resources for you.

Frequently Asked Questions. A lot of our commonly-asked questions can be found a click away on our FAQ page, including inquiries about eligibility, the application process, Host Companies and matching.

Ask a Brookie. The Alumni from our Class of 2018 created the “Ask a Brookie” service to allow anyone from anywhere in the world to write in with a question for an awesome young aerospace leader. Please feel free to use this service to ask past Brookies about their experience with the Fellowship, the application process, or anything else! They are committed to fairness, so they aren’t going to give you a secret code that gets you selected or anything – but they will answer your questions with thought and care. This service is 100% free and open to absolutely everyone.

Use our Brookie Applicant Slack. We’ve created a Slack workspace specifically for applicants to this program. This is totally optional, but it can be a great place to ask questions or seek encouragement from your Fellow applicants. We also have several alumni who actively use the Slack, as well as a few members of our Selection Committee, our Executive Team, and even our Founding team. It’s a fun opportunity for group or one-on-one interaction. This service is 100% free and open to absolutely everyone. To be invited to join the Slack, please fill out this simple form.

How-to-Guides and Office Hours. Our alumni are working on creating some How-to-Guides about specific parts of applying for this Fellowship, including things like how to get accurate and impressive letters of recommendation. They are also looking at holding ‘Office Hours’ for people who want to virtually pop in and ask a question. To learn more about these opportunities, please follow the Brooke Owens Fellowship on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn – we’ll post information as early and as frequently as we can! And all of these services will be 100% free and open to absolutely everyone. Here are our most recent resources available to you:

• A Brookie Guide to Requesting a Letter of Recommendation

• A Brookie Guide to Writing a Letter of Recommendation

• A Brookie Guide to Submitting a Letter of Recommendation

• A Brookie Guide to Creating Your Essays

• A Brookie Guide to Selecting Host Institutions

• A Brookie Guide to the Survey Monkey Portal

• Example Application Videos from Brookie Alumni

• Our Brookie alumni are generously hosting information sessions about BOF, which you can also find at the top of this page! Also, follow our social media for the latest news about information sessions.

If you still have questions beyond these resources about application content: Please reach out to the Brooke Owens Fellowship using the Contact page on our website.

If you are having trouble with the Survey Monkey application portal and need technical support: Please contact the Survey Monkey Support Team and submit a ticket.

submit to the application portal

Unlike last year, we are using Survey Monkey to review your application. Please use this guide for applicant instructions! Please use this guide for recommender instructions!

Good luck! We can’t wait to hear from you.