Wise Award Winners

Bio

Lauren-Ann Graham ’20, ’23 M.S., is a mechanical test engineer working on NASA’s Orion spacecraft, the spacecraft designed to carry humans back to the Moon.

From the Launch Control Center, she supported the Artemis I mission management team during launch operations, helping pave the way for the next era of human space exploration.

Graham earned her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, with a robotics-focused thesis, from Florida Institute of Technology.

During her time there, she completed two internships with NASA and served as a Jet Propulsion Engineering intern with Larsen Motorsports. She also became a spokesperson for NASA and the Blazing Trails educational series, Rockets to Racecars.

Through her STEM outreach platform, “nasa.lag”, Graham has built a strong presence within local and national STEM communities.

She has been featured on Florida Tech’s College Tour episode, spoken to hundreds of students ranging from elementary school through college, participated in a lecture series alongside NASA astronauts, and continues to advocate for STEM education through outreach and mentorship.

Her ultimate dream is to become an astronaut and one day walk on the Moon! This goal has driven her to explore diverse areas of engineering, including jet propulsion, testing, aerospace, mechanical systems, robotics, and space systems engineering.

Currently, Graham is pursuing her Master Scuba Diving certification and is on track to become a certified test conductor for the Orion spacecraft soon.

She hopes to inspire others to chase their dreams through education, curiosity, and perseverance.

Her favorite quote, shared by her father, is: “You only fail when you quit.”