Nikolas Schunn

When Nikolas Schunn (ENGR ’23) talks about his future, he imagines solving a problem that space exploration companies are spending millions of dollars on every day—how to improve rocket engines to the point that humanity can make its next great leap in space.

“Companies are spending large budgets to get turbopumps to perform better without blowing up,” said Nik. “Finding a breakthrough would result in faster travel, which could mean manned travel to Mars or exploration of the next solar system.”

With the help of the Swanson School of Engineering, Nik landed a co-op at SpaceX in Texas.

“Joining engineering clubs and taking a summer internship at SpaceX are dependent on my scholarship,” Nik said. “Without it, I would have to work a secondary job rather than gathering experiences that will launch my career.”

Nik thanks the creators of his endowed scholarship for their planned gift by stating, “I don’t have the words to describe how grateful I am that you have done this out of the goodness of your heart.”