WIA Foundation
The Women in Aerospace Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. All contributions to the organization are deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
The WIA Foundation Scholarship,
The WIA Foundation Scholarship in memory of Molly K. Macauley,
The WIA Foundation – Amr EISawy Scholarship (2 available),
for the 2025-2026 school year.
Applications Due June 17, 2025
Please Click Here to Apply!
The scholarship recipients will be honored at the WIA Awards Dinner & Ceremony on October 9, 2025.
Sections:
- WIA Foundation Background
- WIA Foundation Financial Goals
- WIA Foundation Scholarship Information
- 2024-2025 Scholarship Recipients
- WIA Foundation Scholarship Recipients
- Giving to the WIA Foundation
- Gift Benefits of Giving to the WIA Foundation
- WIA Foundation Donor Roll Call
- WIA Foundation Leadership
WIA Foundation Background
Founded in 2009, the Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation, Inc., is a nonprofit, tax-exempt educational organization created with three missions:
- Increase public awareness of the importance and benefits of the aerospace field.
- Increase public appreciation for aerospace science and technology.
- Inspire those who identify as female students to develop the skill sets required to innovate and assume leadership roles in the development of technology in the aerospace field.
The Foundation partly accomplishes its purpose by providing scholarships to those who identify as women who study engineering, math or science at the undergraduate level, and thereby (i) encourage women to enter careers in the aerospace field, (ii) expand women's opportunities for leadership in aerospace, and (iii) increase women's visibility in the aerospace community.
To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.
WIA Foundation Financial Goals
The current financial goals of the WIA Foundation are twofold:
- To establish an initial $50,000 endowment to perpetually fund the scholarship program
- To establish relationships with individuals and corporations to fund “named” scholarships or educational programs
To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please donate here or contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.
WIA Foundation Scholarship Information
The WIA Foundation is pleased to provide scholarships to those who identify as women, who are interested in a career in the aerospace field to pursue higher education degrees in engineering, math or science. Four merit-based awards of $5,000 each will be given to rising juniors and seniors in college, to be applied to the 2025-2026 academic year.
To be eligible for the WIA Foundation Scholarship, an applicant must be interested in pursuing a career in the aerospace field and be a rising junior or senior working towards a bachelor’s degree in engineering, math or science. An applicant must have completed at least two and a half academic years of full-time college work at the time of application and must be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university in the United States or its territories, and plan to be enrolled in the subsequent academic year. Each applicant must have a college grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants must identify as female and be a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident. Applications will be available around mid-February for the subsequent academic year.
| The scholarship timeline is as follows: | |
| Mid-February: | Announcement and call for scholarship applicants |
| June 17, 2025: | Application Deadline |
| Late July: | Scholarship recipients announcement |
| October 9, 2025: | Scholarship recipients honored at WIA Awards Dinner & Ceremony in Washington, DC. |
To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please donate here or contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.
WIA Announces Scholarship Recipients for 2024-2025 School Year
Washington, DC – The Women in Aerospace (WIA) Foundation, Inc. is delighted to announce Halyn McKenzie, Elizabeth Petersen, Elena Saez, and Asia Stanford as the recipients of WIA Foundation Scholarships. Each received a scholarship of $5,000 to be applied to the 2024-2025 academic year.
Halyn McKenzie
Elizabeth Petersen
Halyn McKenzie studies Chemical and Mechanical Engineering at Yale University. One thing she’d like everyone to know about her is, on the surface, she is a Yale student and NASA Pathways Intern, but at her roots, she is a girl from a small rural town, raised by a single mother, who has worked incredibly hard to get where she is today.
Elizabeth Petersen studies Electrical Engineering at Colorado School of Mines. One thing to know about her is from her view, she finds aerospace to be a field that brings all ideas of space exploration, aviation and military/defense together, inspiring individuals from all different fields and expertise to work together to achieve greatness. She wants everyone to know that aerospace is open to and affects everybody on Earth.
Elena Saez
Asia Stanford
Elena Saez studies Aerospace Engineering with a minor in computational engineering at the University of Notre Dame. One thing to know about her is that every day she feels so lucky that she lives in a period where aerospace technology is evolving at an unprecedented pace. It is an industry that fosters innovation and seeks to travel the universe while also improving our life on Earth – something she hopes more little girls understand and become part of.
Asia Stanford studies Aerospace Engineering at the University of Central Florida. One thing she’d like everyone to know about her is she is more than an Aerospace Engineering student, as she is one who prioritizes family, faith and fitness. She is a former NASA, Boeing, and Honeywell intern, who has a dream of becoming a pilot.
The WIA Foundation scholarships are funded by generous donations from individuals and corporations around the aerospace community. The WIA Foundation Board, WIA Board, and others in the aerospace community continue to contribute ongoing financial support. This investment is creating an endowment fund to support the success of the Foundation’s programs and ensure the scholarship program continues in perpetuity.
The scholarships and recognition were presented at the 39th Annual WIA Awards Dinner & Ceremony on Thursday, October 10, 2024 at the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
WIA Foundation Scholarship Recipients
2024 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship Winners (left to right): Halyn McKenzie; WIA Foundation President, Dr. Rebecca L. Keiser; and Asia Stanford
Learn more about the 2024 winners.
2023 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship Winners (left to right): Gia Karavangelas; Ashley Tirado Pujols; WIA Foundation President, Dr. Rebecca L. Keiser; and Anmol Sharma
Learn more about the 2023 winners.
2022 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship Winners (left to right): Jordyn Amoy, Lauren Bansberg, Simran Dhoju, and Omokhuwele Umoru.
Learn more about the 2022 winners.
2020 and 2021 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship Winners (left to right): Tinevimbo Ndlovu, Sydney Marler, Amy Huynh, Shreya Gowda, Isabella Gayoso, Leah Davis, and Grace Floring (seated are Kathryn Lueders and WIA Chair, Dr. Rebecca Keiser).
Learn more about the 2020 winners and 2021 winners.
2019 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship Winners (left to right): WIA Vice Chair Bridget Chatman, Kristen Susuki, Abigail Gries, and Michelle Lin
Click here for more information on the 2019 winners.
2018 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship Winners (left to right): Esther Putman, Julia Mihaylov, WIA Foundation President, Dr. Rebecca Spyke Keiser, Madeline Koldos, and Katherine Melbourne
Click here for more information on the 2018 winners.
2017 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship Awards presenter, Dr. Rebecca Spyke Keiser (right), with this year’s winners (left to right): Karen Rucker, McKenna Davis, and Julia Di
Click here for more information on the 2017 winners.
2016 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship recipients, Kelly Henckel (left), Khanh Pham (center right) and Elizabeth Worsham (right) are congratulated by WIA Foundation President Dianne Sosa (center left).
2015 Winners:
WIA Foundation Scholarship recipients, Rose Weinstein (left) and Amanda Martin (right) are congratulated by WIA Foundation President Dianne Sosa (center). The third 2015 scholarship recipient was Maggie Thompson (not pictured).
Click here for more information on the 2015 winners.
2014 Winners:
2014 WIA Foundation Scholarship recipients Lauren Trollinger (left) and Emily Zimovan (right) are congratulated by Immediate WIA Foundation Past President Annalisa Weigel (center) at the WIA Annual Awards Ceremony in Arlington, VA held on October 29, 2014. The third 2014 scholarship winner was Jessica Felde (not pictured).
Click here for more information on the 2014 winners.
2013 Winners:
2013 WIA Foundation Scholarship recipients Erin Kirchmeier (left) and Samantha Rowlins (right) at the WIA Annual Awards Ceremony in Arlington, VA held on October 29, 2013.
Click here for more information on the 2013 winners.
2012 Recipient: Kirstyn Johson
2012 WIA Foundation Scholarship recipient Kirstyn Johnson (left) is congratulated by WIA Foundation Immediate Past President Debra Facktor Lepore (right) at the WIA Annual Awards Ceremony in Arlington, VA on November 1, 2012.
Click here for more information on Kirstyn Johnson.
2011 Recipient: Salvador A. Valdes
2011 WIA Foundation Scholarship recipient Salvador Valdes (right) is congratulated by NOAA Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, (left) and Leadership Award recipient Col. Laura J. Richardson (center) at the WIA Annual Awards Ceremony in Arlington, VA on November 1, 2011.
Click here for more information on Sal Valdes.
2010 Inaugural Recipient: Whitney Lohmeyer
WIA Foundation Scholarship recipient Whitney Lohmeyer (center) is congratulated by NASA Administrator Charles J. Bolden Jr., (left) and Deputy Administrator Lori Garver (right) at the WIA Annual Awards Ceremony in Arlington, VA on October 26, 2010.
— Photo by Bill Ingalls/NASA
To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please donate here or contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.
Giving to the WIA Foundation
The WIA Foundation invites you to join an extraordinary group of people and organizations dedicated to the advancement of women in the aerospace profession. Gifts of any amount will make a big difference in the lives of young women pursuing careers in aerospace and will positively impact the future of our industry.
Annual gifts to the WIA Foundation make our scholarship program happen. We currently have two giving options available, and invite you to participate in one or both options:
The WIA Foundation Fund: Donations to the Foundation ensures the longevity and success of the Foundation’s scholarships. Your gift allows the Foundation to provide annual scholarships and enable gradual expansion for additional scholarships and higher dollar values.
Named Gifts: A special honor, gifts of $35,000 or more may be named for an individual, family or corporation for 5 or more years. This is an outstanding opportunity for recognition and tribute. A named gift will ensure recognition of a special person or organization and will also ensure a scholarship or specific educational program meets the mutual interests of the donor, the Foundation, and our community.
Please join us in encouraging young women to pursue careers in aerospace by studying engineering, math and science at the college level by making your gift to the WIA Foundation today.
To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please donate here or contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.
If you choose to pay by check, please make your check payable to: “WIA Foundation” and mail your donation to:
WIA Foundation
515 2ND Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Benefits of Giving to the WIA Foundation
In appreciation for your gift, the WIA Foundation will provide recognition within the aerospace community for all donors. Specifically, you will receive:
- Inclusion on the Donor Honor Roll page on the WIA Foundation website
- Recognition in the WIA Annual Awards Dinner Program
To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please donate here or contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.
WIA Foundation Donor Roll Call
The following organizations and individuals have graciously provided support to the WIA Foundation. In particular, the WIA Foundation recognizes the commitment of Women in Aerospace board members and officers – past, present, and future – for their personal contributions in making the Foundation a reality.
Organizations:
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Individuals:
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SpaceTweeps on behalf of Stephanie Schierholz (@MTClemente, @therealDJFlux, @datachick, @ageekmom, @starlingLX, @jotulloch, @cygnusx112, @And_Tonic, @marybethhunt, @jschoeneberg, @BigE54, @AllanManangan, @ouemt)
To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please donate here or contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.
WIA Foundation Leadership
President of WIA Foundation:
- Dr. Rebecca L. Keiser, Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy, National Science Foundation
To contribute to the WIA Foundation or for further information, please donate here or contact the WIA Foundation at info@womeninaerospacefoundation.org or 202-547-0229.