Sally Ride Fellowship Application

We're so glad that you're interested in applying to be a Sally Ride fellow this year! We're here to help elevate the presence and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in aerospace, and if you'd like to help us do that then take a look at the application below!

1. Confirm Eligibility

2. Gather Materials

3. Request Letters of Recommendation

4. Decide Host Institutions

5. Create Essays

6. Review Application and Submit!

The Sally Ride Fellowship Program is open to any student who:

• Is a full-time undergraduate student at the time of applying who intends to pursue a full-time career in the aerospace industry
• Dedicated to LGBTQ+ inclusion and equity in aerospace
• Must be able to attend a full-time internship during the Summer of 2025
• Is a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident (green card holder) due to export control regulations at our host companies
• If you find yourself ineligible for this program or are looking for more opportunities, we encourage you to check out our sister programs, the Brooke Owens Fellowship, the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, the Zed Factor Fellowship, and the Zenith Canada Pathways Fellowship! 

Resume

Your resume should be no more than two pages in length and include your current GPA (Exceptions for first semester freshman who do not yet have a GPA). Your resume’s file name should be titled as “[Last Name]_[First Name]_Resume”.  

Transcript

 Your university transcript can be unofficial, although official transcript is required upon selection into program. Your transcript’s file name should be "[Last Name]_[First Name]_Transcript". 

It's hard to get to know an applicant in only a few essays, so in order to help with our assessment process, we need the help of the people who know you best. For your application, you'll need (2) recommendation letters. Please limit the length of your recommendations to 2 pages each at the most.

• 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 service-oriented settings like clubs, religious groups, family groups, and more. 

These letters will need to be sent via the recommender's email to contact@sallyridefellowship.org as a pdf attachment with the following naming convention: "[Last Name]_[First Name]_Recommendation".

If you make it to the 2nd round of the application, you will be asked to select the top 3 host companies you'd be interested in having your internship at for the summer. These companies will be added to the host institution page as they come in, and a final list will be provided along with information about the positions they are looking to fill to the semi-finalists. We will take your preference into consideration when matching you with a company to work at, so make sure to research the host institutions ahead of time to find your best match!

As part of your application, you are required to submit (1) short essay of 250 words or less, (1) long essay of 650 words, and (1) additional piece which can be in the form of another long essay or multimedia submission. The prompts for these submissions are shown below, and you can select any two prompts from the list for your multimedia and long essay submissions. The multimedia submission can be pretty much anything that isn't a written prose essay. Some examples of possible submissions could be pieces of art, video submissions (3-5 minutes), works of fiction (650 word limit), poems, etc. The limit on file size is 250MB, and the piece should be able to be reviewed within a 5 minute window to allow us to review all applications in a timely manner.

Short Essay Prompt (250 word limit)

What does the LGBTQ+ community mean to you, and how has it shaped your sense of belonging or purpose?

Long Essay or Multimedia Submission (Choose 2, 650 word limit, 250MB file size)

1. In a rapidly changing world, what do you envision the future of effective LGBTQ+ advocacy to look like in the aerospace industry?
2. Who has been a mentor or source of inspiration in your career/personal journey, and what life lesson from them has most shaped who you are today? How would you carry that lesson forward to inspire others?
3. Share an example of a project or dream you turned into reality, big or small. How did you bring it from concept to completion, and what surprised you most about the journey?
4. Describe a time when you worked through a disagreement with others on a challenging issue. What did you learn about communication, empathy, and persuasion? How did this impact your own perspective?
5. What is an overlooked issue or opportunity in aerospace that you believe could shape the industry’s future? How would you approach addressing it?
6. Talk about a time you stood up for yourself or someone else in a challenging environment. How did that experience shape the way you create welcoming spaces for others?

Make sure to review your application thoroughly before submitting it. It often helps to have another person look at it as well, and we encourage all applicants to join our community Discord server so you can chat with other applicants and the Sally Ride Fellowship team about your application.