This summer, First Mode will welcome two interns as part of the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship program, Niya Hope-Glenn and Hermon Kaysha. Niya Hope-Glenn was the subject of a feature story on February 28, 2021 in The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, New York. In the article, we get to know Niya a little bit more!
Article excerpts:
When Hope-Glenn started out as a freshman at Schenectady High School, she wanted to pursue a career in cosmetology. But after a science teacher encouraged her to pursue her scientific interests, Hope-Glenn discovered a passion for chemistry and engineering. Just a few years later, she is set to complete an internship at a company that has consulted on the recent Mars mission and other space travel.
Hope-Glenn earned an internship with Seattle-based engineering firm First Mode, which focuses on design, engineering and production of technologies used in industries both on Earth and in space. Hope-Glenn said she was interested in working on some of the company’s renewable energy technologies and getting an opportunity to see how a team of scientists and engineers approaches different problems — especially after a year spent learning remotely.
“I feel like ninth-grade me would be very proud of me now — that I expanded my horizons,” Niya Hope-Glenn said.
The company in a statement said it wanted to participate in the fellowship program to open the door to Black students interested in learning more about aerospace engineering.
“Many of us at First Mode started our careers with formative experiences during college, and we want to do our part to give others a similar opportunity,” Elizabeth Frank, a First Mode senior applied planetary scientist and chair of the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee, said. “This is particularly critical for those from underrepresented backgrounds in aerospace, who may not have the network to get their foot in the door.”
Want to work with us? We’re hiring! First Mode draws on the exceptional talent and creativity of its multidisciplinary team to solve the toughest problems on and off the planet. Check out our open positions in Seattle and Perth.
