Meet Sumayya Abukhalil, a former Brooke Owens Fellow now full-time Space Systems Engineer, as she shares insight into her experience of working at Northrop Grumman.

Providing fellowships and mentorship to women in aerospace

As a leading aerospace and defense contractor, Northrop Grumman is dedicated to supporting the career growth of those aspiring to be a part of the industry. One program that brings bright students to the company is the Brooke Owens Fellowship, a program that provides paid internships and executive mentorship to undergraduate women in aerospace. 

Each year, the program places two interns with the company to learn about the business and get hands-on experience. Sumayya is a former Fellow who is now a full-time employee. She supported multiple programs during her fellowship as a Systems Engineer; the majority of her time was spent on the Commercial Infrastructure for Robotic Assembly and Services (CIRAS) Program, a program that matured robotic in-space assembly technologies for NASA.

"During the fellowship, my day-to-day work ranged greatly. Some days I was helping with trade studies or putting together a model in SysML. Part of my internship involved developing the foundation for CIRAS's computer vision system. At times, I was given glue-work tasks, like putting together a company-wide presentation or working with the graphics department to create demo videos. Being on such a small team meant that I got to be involved in just about every aspect that went into the development of a space mission," recalls Sumayya.

Sumayya is now looking forward to making a long lasting impact on the space industry, commenting "Developing infrastructure in space to allow humanity to better and more efficiently explore the universe is my passion. I can't wait to contribute to that grand idea as a systems engineer."

Feeling a great match with Northrop Grumman

"When I found out I was matched with Northrop Grumman, I was ecstatic. Though I have to admit, I hadn't realized the company was going to be such a good match for me until after I had my interview. I'm very grateful for how keen the team was on wanting to place me in a program that would suit my career interests, which are primarily related to in-space manufacturing and development. After I learned about some of the projects going on within the Civil and Commercial Business Unit, I was certain that was where I wanted to be," says Sumayya.

Reflecting on the most exciting elements of her Fellowship

Asked what was the most exciting part of her Fellowship, Sumayya replied "I don't think it was any particular instance that was most exciting, rather it was the experience of being around so many other women who share a similar passion. It's something that I hadn't thought about a lot before being a part of the fellowship, but I never really had a lot of friends in the space industry that are women. The women I met through the fellowship that summer gave me a sense of belonging in this industry that I had never felt before. Not only did we grow our professional network, but we also made lasting friendships. I think that aspect of being a part of this cohort of like-minded women and being able to talk to them about anything, personal or professional, was the most rewarding part."

An introduction to systems engineering and choosing a future career

Sumayya says the fellowship helped solidify her interest in engineering and introduce her to her particular area of specialism. "This fellowship was my introduction to systems engineering and I gained a ton of knowledge in just those couple of months. Aside from learning about the tasks that I was assigned, my team encouraged me to attend meetings that didn't directly relate to my work so that I could gain an understanding of other aspects of systems engineering that I otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to. Because of the internship, I realized that being a space systems engineer was what I wanted to do with my career," she reflects. 

"I was also assigned a mentor within the company, and we met up every other week to catch up and talk about life and career goals. At one of our meet-ups, I professed to her that being a systems engineer was my ultimate goal. She then brought out her copy of the NASA Systems Engineering Handbook and proceeded to tell me everything I need to know; well, as much as she could in the little bit of time that we had. Her mentorship was one of the most valuable aspects of the fellowship. I will always be thankful for the guidance and motivation she gave me."

Deciding to become a full-time Northrop Grumman employee 

When asked why she chose to join Northrop Grumman full-time after her fellowship, Sumayya replies "Honestly, it was a really easy decision. I love the people I worked with, the projects are awesome, and the location is great. There's not a whole lot more that I can ask for in a job."

"The culture here at Northrop Grumman is a great balance of highly professional and laid back. Everyone here is brilliant and hard-working, mostly because we all love what we do. We work at a pretty fast pace, especially here in APD, and it feels like there is always a new project that is just starting or being proposed. It's a very exciting environment, probably similar to a start-up culture, just with more institutional knowledge," she continues.

Looking forward to a bright engineering future

Sumayya says she is now most looking forward to making a long lasting impact on the space industry and developing infrastructure in space to allow humanity to better explore the universe.

"Also I'm really looking forward to inspiring the next generation of space explorers through mentorship. I give a lot of credit to the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS), a non-profit organization that engages university students in the space industry, and of course the Brooke Owens Fellowship, for introducing me to the mentors and role models that motivated me. If it weren't for them, I'm not sure where I would be right now, so I'd like to pay that deed forward," adds Sumayya.

Advice for further women building their careers

"I'm still pretty new to this too, but if there is one thing I couldn't recommend more, it's to get involved in your local aerospace community," Sumayya advises other up-and-coming professionals in her sector. "Whether it's going to company happy hours, participating in your local AIAA chapter, or attending conferences, it is so important to get to know other people who are working towards the same vision as you. Not only is it enlightening to learn about what other people are working on, but also it's usually a reminder of how awesome our jobs are. Never have I left a conference or a met someone new in the industry without having a new perspective on my job afterwards."

Kick-start your systems engineering career with Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman provides exciting career opportunities for people with a wide variety of interests, talents, and skills, including systems engineering and all things related to space.

Click here to search for systems engineering jobs throughout the country.

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