Details for the Essays

ESSAYS: We require all three essays prompts to be completed and must be submitted along with your online application to be complete. Please make sure to upload your essay responses as a single PDF file titled, “Essays2024_FullNameofApplicant”. Once you submit your application you will no be able to return and edit your application. Each applicant will only be allowed one submission. We will not accept any emailed essays as they must be submitted through the online application system.

Below are the required essays for the fellowship:

1. In 350 words or less, please describe your ideal first job post-education. If you are uncertain about your ideal first job or career goals post-education, please describe what makes you passionate about the aviation and/or space industry.

2. In 350 words or less, explain your ideal aerospace community engagement project and how the Zed Factor Fellowship will help you achieve this project.

3. In 500 words or less, answer the following: Why do you want to be a Zed Factor Fellow? What do you believe you will bring to the Zed community and what do you hope to achieve being a Zed Factor Fellow?

Some tips on thinking about your proposed community engagement project:

The Zed Factor Fellowship was created not only to ensure fellows who are not traditionally represented in the aerospace community, but also to bring the impact of those fellows, the learning and growth, to those fellows’ communities. All fellows are expected to give back to their communities, in a way they see fit, be it through providing mentorship to a younger community member, building a program in their high school, or finding another appropriate and compelling way to grow and expand the impact of the Zed Factor Fellowship beyond themselves.

We realize designing impactful and effective community engagement projects is both an opportunity and a challenge. We want to assist, but also realize that fellows know their communities better than anyone else.

Some thoughts to consider when thinking through how best to maximize the reach of a community engagement project:

• Who is the audience you want to reach?  What are their needs and challenges?

• How do you want the audience to feel from your project? (i.e., inspired, motivated, included, etc.)

• How can the community engagement project amplify the learnings or findings of the fellowship?

• Are there any unique relationships do you have that can contribute to the success of the community engagement project (membership in a local or national organization, mentors who can advise/assist, a special connection to a community leader)?

• What special skills can you use to create a unique and impactful community engagement project?

There are plenty of online guides on how to build a community engagement project that you can tailor to this specific circumstance. Be creative, and keep in mind how you plan to measure the impact of your community engagement project and how it can amplify your Zed Factor Fellowship experience far beyond your internship.  

Good luck!