Flight Path to the Stars
An Indigenous aerospace student’s journey through identity, engineering, and community
Grace Pardini says her love of space started with a lift-off from her parents, and their love of science fiction.
Star Trek was often on her family’s television. Even as a young child, she wondered what ‘warp speed’ meant and how you made things go that fast.
A fifth-grade field trip set Pardini on trajectory toward her career calling. She still remembers the moment she walked into a mock space shuttle control room and felt something shift.
“This is it,” she thought. “This is where I want to be.”
That spark would carry her across state lines, into the Husky Marching Band, onto a rocket launch team, and eventually through an aeronautics engineering degree at the University of Washington.
“I’ve always loved puzzles, science, and space,” she said. “But I think what’s driven me most is that I want to be part of something bigger than myself.”
A Love for Space — and the Systems Behind It
Pardini’s journey to the UW wasn’t direct. She moved between high schools in California and Oregon and initially didn’t see college as a likely outcome. But a video of the Husky Marching Band on Instagram caught her attention. The band members were dancing while belting out some of their crowd-rousing tunes.
“It just looked like joy,” said Pardini.
But it was the UW’s aeronautical and astronautical engineering program sealed the deal. She saw the unique program as more than a major — it was a chance to study spaceflight systems in a city known for aviation innovation that made the University of Washington feel like the best choice for her.
Pardini came to campus with her degree program in mind, and ready to join the marching band. What she didn’t expect to find was a deeper sense of cultural belonging. As a first-generation college student and an Alaska Native woman in STEM, Pardini carved out a space where she could thrive — and help others do the same.
She joined the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and eventually became a team leader for the First Nations Launch, an Indigenous-centered rocketry competition sponsored by NASA.
Her team at the UW has consistently placed in the top three nationally — including a first-place finish during her first year on the team and awards for technical accuracy, professional presentation, and adherence to launch safety standards. Under her leadership, the group launched a custom-built rocket more than 3,200 feet into the air — within just 70 feet of their simulation’s prediction.
“It’s not just about launching rockets,” she said. “It’s about proving what Indigenous engineers and students are capable of when they’re given support, space, and a reason to believe in themselves.”
A Pendant, a Legacy
That belief — and her leadership — earned her a deeply personal honor: a handmade pendant beaded by the mother of a competition judge, given to her as a symbol of respect and cultural connection.
“It’s one of the things I treasure most,” Pardini said. “It represents so many parts of who I am — Indigenous, a leader, an engineer, a storyteller.”
The white beads are porcupine quills. The backing is deerskin. One of the stones was traded long ago and has been passed down through generations. “It’s not just jewelry,” she added. “It’s a reminder of where I come from and where I’m going.”
Finding Community, One March at a Time
In addition to the rockets and research labs, Pardini found her first UW home in the Husky Marching Band. She marched mellophone — the marching band equivalent of the French horn — for multiple seasons, calling the experience one of the most meaningful of her experience in college.
“You rehearse 25+ hours a week, you play your heart out on the field, and you gain a family,” she said. “Marching band gave me an instant community. I never had to wonder if I belonged at the UW.”
That sense of belonging extended off the field, too. Through reconnecting with her extended Indigenous family in the Seattle area — and being welcomed into cultural spaces she hadn’t previously had access to — Pardini began learning traditional practices that connected her more deeply to her heritage. One of the most meaningful was cedar weaving, an artform rooted in storytelling, healing, and community.
“I didn’t even know I was Indigenous until I was a teenager,” she said. “At UW, I’ve been able to explore that identity and find family I didn’t know I had.”
Eyes on the Horizon
With an internship lined up at Boeing this summer, Pardini is looking forward to putting her technical skills to work. She will be working on high speed aerodynamics in the Commercial Airplanes division — applying what she’s learned in the classroom to real-world aerospace engineering challenges. In the future, Pardini plans on continuing her education. Her long-term goal? Earning a Ph.D., mentoring others in STEM, and maybe one day returning to the UW as a professor.
“I’m not trying to be the astronaut,” she said. “I want to be in the control room, helping someone get there — and making sure they come back.”
It’s a fitting vision for a student who’s spent her time at the UW helping launch more than just rockets — but stories, ideas, and people, too.
