AE alumna Kathryn “Kathy” Engelhardt (AE 1982, M.S. AE 1983), née Dunlop, has returned to Georgia, steps away from her beloved Georgia Tech, grateful for every leg of her journey. She reflected on her extraordinary experiences, lifelong friendships, and the lessons learned. Georgia Tech equipped her to excel in industry and navigate male-dominated spaces with tenacity and grace.
The Wonder Years
Born to a Jamaican mother and father of Irish descent, Kathy’s fascination with space and aviation set her apart from her peers early on. Her first plane ride at five sparked a lifelong love for the skies. While vacationing in Italy at nine, the precocious child begged to stay in the hotel room to watch the Apollo 11 moon landing instead of exploring Italy.
“I loved to build things and was always taking things apart and putting them back together,” she shared.
Math came easy, and she told everyone who would listen that she wanted to be an astronaut. So much so that her stepfather’s German clients recommended that she go to Georgia Tech if she wanted to do aerospace and design rockets and space shuttles. She was only 13 then, but the idea stuck in her head. When the time came, she applied to Harvard, Princeton, and Georgia Tech. She was accepted to all three, but Georgia Tech was always her top choice.
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