Indigenous Student Wins NASA JPL Mentorship Through Space Foundation Partnership

Alaxandrea O'Brien, a Dulgubarra-Mamu and Jirrbal woman from the University of Western Australia, has been selected to spend ten weeks at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California as a mentee working alongside some of the world's leading space scientists and engineers. The opportunity came through the Andy Thomas Space Foundation's sponsorship of her participation in Monash University's National Indigenous Space Academy program—marking the second consecutive year the foundation has backed an Indigenous student for this particular pathway into the space sector.

The National Indigenous Space Academy itself is a relatively young initiative, having launched in 2023 with backing from the Australian Space Agency, CSIRO, the Andy Thomas Space Foundation, and Boeing. Its explicit purpose is to create a pipeline of Indigenous talent into Australia's growing space industry by connecting high-achieving First Nations STEM students with industry mentors, cultural support, and exposure to opportunities at the global level. The JPL experience represents the flagship element of that work—a chance for students to see firsthand how cutting-edge research, mission design, and advanced engineering actually happen in one of the world's premier space research environments.

For O'Brien, the sponsorship carries weight beyond the immediate professional opportunity. In a statement about receiving the award, she described how meeting with Australian space professionals before her departure had already shifted her sense of what was possible. She spoke of the impact of seeing that Australia itself has played and continues to play a significant role in space exploration—a realization that seemed to crystallize something for her about her own place in that story. "To continue my journey in this way means that the little girl from the Kimberley made it," she said, "and more than that it means that other little girls from similar circumstances can be bold and brave in following their dreams too."

Darcey Watson, CEO of the Andy Thomas Space Foundation, framed the sponsorship as something larger than supporting a single student's career development. "It's helping launch a leader whose story will inspire generations to come," she said. The foundation's reasoning is straightforward: when young people see peers who look like them stepping into roles in the space sector, they begin to see possibility in their own futures. That visibility matters. Watson emphasized that the foundation believes in empowering young people ready to shape Australia's space industry, and that lifting up these leaders creates a future where diverse perspectives have a genuine seat at the table.

Christopher Lawrence, a professor of practice in space innovation at Monash and founder of the National Indigenous Space Academy, echoed that logic. "Showing students what is possible can be the first step towards a career in STEM," he said. The academy's model rests on the idea that First Nations students need to experience the space sector directly, build real connections within it, and see themselves reflected in it. Without those elements, the pathway remains abstract—something that happens to other people, in other places.

The partnership between Monash and the Andy Thomas Space Foundation is now in its second year, suggesting both organizations see value in continuing the work. O'Brien's selection and her own articulation of what the opportunity means—not just for her, but as a signal to other Indigenous young people considering STEM—suggests the model is working as intended. Applications for the National Indigenous Space Academy's 2027 program will open soon, potentially expanding the number of First Nations students who get access to this kind of direct mentorship and international exposure.