Ashley Tarrant, a rising senior double majoring in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Physics with a minor in Spanish, has been selected as a 2024 Astronaut Scholar!

This year the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) has awarded 71 scholarships to students from 48 different universities across the nation. Astronaut Scholarships are awarded to students in their junior and senior year of college studying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics with the intent to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree. Astronaut Scholars are among the best and brightest minds in STEM who show initiative, creativity, and excellence in their chosen field, and the Scholars receive up to 15,000 dollars toward their undergraduate education. In addition, Ashley will attend Astronaut’s Innovators Symposium and Gala this summer in Houston, Texas.

The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was created in 1984 by: the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts (Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton); Betty Grissom (widow of the seventh astronaut, Virgil “Gus” Grissom); William Douglas, M.D. (The Project Mercury flight surgeon); and Henri Landwirth (Orlando businessman and friend). Together they represented a wealth of collective influence which was particularly suited to encouraging university students pursuing scientific excellence. Their mission was to ensure the United States would be the global leader in technology for decades to come.

Since that time, astronauts from the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Space Shuttle programs have also embraced this noble mission. ASF can partners with industry leaders, universities and individual donors to reward the best and brightest university students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with substantial scholarships.

The prestigious Astronaut Scholarship is known nationwide for being among the largest merit-based monetary scholarships awarded to undergraduate STEM juniors and seniors. ASF has a life-long relationship with each Astronaut Scholar and provides them with mentors, professional and personal development and networking with astronauts, C-suite level executives, and industry leaders to help advance their careers.

Congratulations to Ashley for winning this prestigious award!