Emily Calandrelli
Bringing Space and STEM to Life
MEGAN BEVINS & KENZIE DYE
Emily Calandrelli has charted a course from the hills of West Virginia to the edge of space, proving the sky is not the limit when curiosity and determination collide.
Photo by Blue Origin.
Early Influences
For Calandrelli, growing up in West Virginia meant learning the value of perseverance early.
“ Both of my parents grew up poor in the state,” Calandrelli says.“ They worked incredibly hard to bring our family into the middle class, but even so, throughout my childhood the biggest topic when it came to careers was financial security. When you get older, not having money becomes one of your greatest sources of anxiety.”
Calandrelli turned to engineering not just for financial security but as a foundation for something larger— connecting science to the public and using her platform to make it more inclusive. She recalls two things she learned while pursuing this career field.
“ I learned that it was adventurous and fun and that I was also good at it,” she says.“ There was grit, but there was also this glory and payoff that came with it. I was able to fly in zero gravitational force while doing research. I lived in California, Cleveland and China and did different internships and research fellowships in different locations. I traveled the world and was paid for it because I was doing science and engineering.”
After Calandrelli earned her bachelor’ s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from West Virginia University, her educational journey led her to Massachusetts Institute of Technology( MIT), where she received two master’ s degrees in aeronautics and astronautics as well as technology and policy.
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