In collaboration with the Sisters of the Skies, an organization of professional black female pilots who are committed to supporting future black aviators through mentorship, professional development, outreach and scholarship, the Endeavour Scholarship proudly announces the selection of Mission Team #19 from the USA! This exceptional all-female team of four embodies the spirt of determination and excellence. The team will guided by the incredible leadership of First Officer Alexis Robinson. Thank you to Captain Theresa Claiborne at Sisters of the Skies for helping us identify these amazing young women!

Scholarship Recipients

Noelle ryan

Hello, my name is Noelle Ryan. I am a rising 10th grader at Cheltenham High School in Cheltenham Pennsylvania which is right outside of Philadelphia. I am 15 years old and have a twin brother. As a young child, I have always been a curious person. My love for STEM has grown over the years but math and psychology has always been interests of mine. As I grow older, I discover that my curiosity stems from an interest in human behavior and specifically how they interact, develop, and think. In the future, I especially want to learn more about dreams, space, and the ocean. Last year, I participated in a science fair and was recognized for my project titled, “Age On Dream Recall”. I am grateful for my science fair sponsor and teachers who noticed my passion and continue to encourage me to explore my interests in psychology and psychiatry further.

Currently, I am the president of my freshman class and one of my goals is to complete the highest level of math at my high school. I enjoy solving problems, helping others, and collaborating with my peers. I also play the viola and trombone and enjoy sports such as track and tennis. I am very excited to be on Team USA and look forward to a great experience this summer!

kani Gutter

Hi, my name is Kani Gutter. I am a senior from Portland, Maine. I fly planes and love all things aerospace! I am involved with several organizations such as OBAP, Sisters of the Sky, and the Leroy Homer Foundation. I love to work with others, especially, those who share that same sense of curiosity. I am curious about all the different possibilities this industry has to offer, and the potential for growth. Whether that be sustainability, diversity, or space exploration.

The Al Worden Endeavour Scholarship is an exciting opportunity to deepen my knowledge and appreciation of aerospace, and work with amazing people!

Christina Simpson

My name is Christina Simpson, I am a 17-year-old student from Pennsylvania, USA. I love spacecraft, aerospace, and astronomy. I am an aspiring aerospace engineer and hope to innovate upon spacecraft as we know it. I look forward to collaborating with all of the other students and learning more about space!

The opportunity to participate in this program is a once in a lifetime experience that I am so thankful to be a part of. I am extremely honored to be accepted to the Endeavor Scholarship Program! I would like to thank the Endeavor Scholarship Program team, Captain Theresa Claiborne, and Sisters of the Skies.

Kyla Palmer

My name is Kyla Palmer, and I am 16 years old. I am a current junior at Henrietta Lacks Health and Bioscience High School in Vancouver, WA. I am thrilled to be attending space camp this summer.

Currently, I am a student pilot, pursuing my passion for aviation. Alongside my interests in flight, I am deeply committed to my future career in medicine. My ultimate goal is to become a cardiothoracic surgeon, a field where I hope to combine my love for science and helping others.

Space and aviation have always fascinated me, and I believe that space camp will provide an incredible opportunity to deepen my knowledge and experience in these areas. I am eager to learn more about space exploration, work with like-minded peers, and participate in hands-on activities that will challenge and inspire me.

alexis robinson

Welcome aboard! My name is Alexis Robinson. Being the daughter of a retired American Airlines Captain, I grew up surrounded by aviation my entire life. I ultimately ended up pursuing the corporate world and went to the University of Georgia to obtain my undergraduate degree in finance. After graduating, I started my flight journey at Atlanta’s Fulton County Airport with Aviation Career Enrichment, Inc (ACE). ACE’s main goal is to expose students from ages 9-18 to the world of aviation and aerospace each Saturday of the school year. I became a ground instructor with ACE’s Saturday program in 2016 and taught the younger students while gaining all of my flight ratings up to CFII. I was a flight instructor for the organization for 3 years and logged over 1,100+ dual given (instruction) hours.

Upon becoming a commercial pilot and certified flight instructor, I joined as a member of the organization, Sisters of the Skies. I initially felt as if I didn’t have much to offer being a fresh-inked instructor to an organization that was making such large strides to champion women of color in the aviation industry…but my mentors instilled in me that I had more to offer than I realized. I started to volunteer for multiple events that SOS threw from the time I joined as a member and ended up becoming the Chief Pilot for our events and one of the current Board members of the organization. I’m currently a First Officer flying the Embraer 170/175 around the east coast and the Treasurer for Sisters of the Skies!