Meet Wendy Okolo, the first black woman to earn a PhD in aerospace engineering

Wendy Okolo is the world’s first black woman to earn a PhD degree in aerospace engineering. Yes, she is African, Nigerian, and Igbo.

Okolo earned a B.Sc. in aeronautical engineering and a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2010 and 2015, respectively.

Okolo’s career took off with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States agency in charge of the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

She was only 26 years old when she became the University of Texas at Arlington’s first black woman to receive a PhD in aerospace engineering.