Stuart Air Show IDOT Scholarship in Memory of Steve Bednarz

My name is Daisy Leung and I am a senior attending Jensen Beach High School. I have attending the US Space and Aviation Camp in Huntsville, Alabama for several years including having been invited to the Elite Space Camp program last May. I have attended their Aviation program as well and have been awarded scholarship funds if I attend University of Alabama Huntsville. I was accepted into University of Alabama Huntsville but I have decided to attend University of Central Florida as they have a top tier space/aeronautical engineering program and I have been accepted into their program with my dream being to work for NASA or SpaceX in the industry's push to explore Mars. Because my family and I live in Florida, we have frequented Kennedy Space Center. I hope to eventually be accepted into their summer internship program to educate more people about Space and the United States Space program. This scholarship would help afford my continued education and travel to the US Space & Aviation program to attend lectures and participate in controlled simulations. It would also bridge the financial gap that hinders students from achieving their (sometimes complex) career goals. Not many women pursue this type of major and career choice. As of 2024, approximately 13% of aerospace engineers are women. I fully understand the impact of this and I think it separates me and makes me a unique applicant. I also have an unwavering dedication to space exploration and aeronautics. I have been pursuing this career choice for several years and have not been intimidated by the lack of females choosing this path. This allows me to continue to speak to other women and girls about pursuing their love of space and aeronautics and become an advocate for females who feel apprehensive about going into a male dominated field. This isn't about achieving gender equality but more of maximizing innovation and ensuring space exploration safety by bringing fresh perspectives and approaches that are essential in solving complex engineering challenges. Because of the rise in STEM subjects in which many girls are encouraged to participate in, I can be a visible role model to the upcoming generation as other female aerospace engineers and astronauts were to me. Facilitating mentorship programs and networking programs are critical for more female involvement and crucial for transforming the existing culture. I am grateful that I have the opportunity to pursue my career dreams and goals with the support of my family and fantastic advisors and mentors. I hope to one day be that mentor to young women in future generations.

Even before I could articulate what I wanted to do with my life, I knew it involved space. My elementary school teachers and classmates would see me as the boy who always read books much bigger than he could carry — encyclopedias and almanacs adorned with vibrant images of planets, stars, and galactic phenomena. In my after school program, while other children my age were playing sports or chatting, I would sit in the teacher’s lounge and read these books; at the time I could recite countless statistics relating to our universe. In middle school, however, I was disappointed to discover that space was only briefly covered in 8th grade. When that day finally came, my expectations were ruined by surface level, outdated information. Consequently, I lost hope in my school to really challenge me to think. However, my 11th grade physics teacher, Mr. Porch, revived my hope with a rocket science project that went well beyond the AP physics curriculum. He would answer my never ending questions and even ask me questions that challenged me to think from different angles. Another teacher I've had, Mr. Tyrrell, allowed me to explore my interests through a hands-on and independently operated approach; he allowed me to deconstruct and fix a series of broken 3D printers as well as design a number of projects for his other engineering classes. While in college, I hope to be encouraged and challenged as much as I have been by the influential teachers I’ve had with engaging, knowledgeable, and passionate professors. I am dedicated to one day making a contribution, however small it might be, to the advancement of the scientific community through the design of innovative or efficient systems that will, quite literally, help us reach the stars. That’s why I have applied to numerous universities, both in and out of state, with a major in aerospace engineering. My love of mathematicians, physics, and engineering have only intensified as I have been more exposed to it through my courses in AP classes as well as my participation in the engineering academy at my school. I know I will make a difference as an engineer because my goals lie in the development of systems to increase efficiency. I will work to one day be in a position to further reduce waste or fuel consumption in advanced systems or develop more sustainable practices in relation to aerospace engineering as a whole. After college, I plan to work for one of the countless aeronautical industries based in the Treasure or Space Coast and contribute to the thriving aerospace economy in the area. I am truly lucky to grow up so close to a major core of this industry; I live 15 minutes away from an airport and roughly 2 hours away from the Kennedy Space Center (of which I’ve visited more times than I can remember). This scholarship will enable me to consider some of the more expensive universities I have been accepted to such as Carnegie Mellon as I pursue my dream to become the best version of myself I can be for the community I live in - a community I have been heavily involved in serving (with over 700 volunteer hours) through my participation in beach cleanups, community festivals, and community instrumental performances that I have arranged and participated in through my band program, the Treasure Coast Youth Symphony, MartinArts, St. Mary’s Church, and the independent ensembles that I direct.