IAWA-scholarship 2024 for Space student Tanya Spee
Each year The International Aviation Women's Association (IAWA) awards a scholarship to a female student at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. This year, the scholarship of 5,000 USD goes to Master's student Tanya Spee.
Tanya Spee is a student in the Honour Programme in Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft, specializing in ‘Robotics’ and ‘Space Flight.’ As a busy person, she is often found in diverse and unexpected environments, which truly define who she is and where her passion lies. Tanya works as a Space System Engineering intern at Ubotica Technologies and as a trainee at the Royal Netherlands Air Force, where she focuses on space engineering. In her spare time, she picks up a camera to photograph people for various social projects or even steps in front of it as a model for different art projects. Tanya: ‘With the variety in my studies, jobs, and hobbies, I am frequently surrounded by men. I love showing the world that I’m not just one of the guys but, as a woman, carving out my own place in this male-dominated world of aerospace and technology.’
International Aviation Women's Association
Every year, the International Aviation Women's Association IAWA awards a scholarship at a select number of universities to a female student studying aviation and/or aerospace. TU Delft is one of these universities.
Christine De Gagné, who in daily life works for Airbus as Airline Marketing Director Europe, chairs the IAWA Scholarship Committee and is very impressed with Tanya: ‘Tanya stands out remarkably! Her dedication and energy are palpable. Her ability to leverage her skills to empower and connect young women was inspiring. Her passion, leadership, and genuine care shine through, evident in how she connects with IAWA’s mission. Tanya's grit, self-awareness, and resilience make her the ideal candidate, in the committee’s opinion.'
Spee will receive USD 5,000 to spend on education. Previous winners at TU Delft are: Margot Winters (2023), Gaia Roncalli (2022), Leanne van Dam (2021), Giulia Gatti (2020), Julia Radius (2019) and Nadine Duursma (2018).