Welcoming the Newest Member of Our Executive Team: AJ Bekoe (PGSF ‘22)

The Patti Grace Smith Fellowship Executive Team is excited to announce the addition of a new executive team member, Juanitta “AJ” Bekoe.

AJ is an outstanding alumna of our program, completing her internship with Ball Aerospace in Boulder, CO during the summer of 2022. Since that summer, she has remained an active member in our alumni community by increasing our social media presence, coordinating alumni participation at NSBE events, and volunteering to support the summit coordination team. AJ’s voice and presence will not only represent the increasing alumni base, but will also bring a fresh perspective to the day-to-day operations of the Fellowship.

A bit more about AJ:  She is in her final semester at Syracuse University, soon to graduate with a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering and minor in Physics. Currently, she serves as Vice President of her local NSBE chapter and the professional liaison for the local Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter, where she has worked to facilitate an inclusive, opportunistic and engaging student experience for their members and engineering community at large. She is also passionate about advocacy in STEM education, serving as both a mentor for young students in technical design competitions and as a physics and astronomy tutor for students at her university. Upon graduation she'll be returning to her PGSF host company, Ball, as a full time engineer.

"I am very honored and excited to join the executive team! This organization is very dear to me, so I want to pay it forward to the future classes of this amazing fellowship and make space [and the industry] truly for all. I look forward to welcoming the incoming class of 2024 and to increasing the number of black engineers in aerospace, who will excel, succeed and positively impact the community - through this program and beyond." 

Please join us in welcoming AJ to the PGSF Executive Team!