Naia Butler-Craig

Naia Butler-Craig, 23, is an aspiring mission specialist astronaut who is establishing herself as one of the leading minority voices in the STEM industry.A 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 selection, Naia is currently an AerospaceEngineering PhD student and GEM Fellow at the Georgia Institute ofTechnology as well as a NASA Space Technology Graduate ResearchFellow. She also received a 2020 Modern Day Technology Leader Award from the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA). Since childhood, theOrlando native has had an unshakable love and curiosity for space and its enigma, math, science and engineering. The insatiable passion for STEM led her to become the first-generation college and graduate student in her family. Despite the barriers and obstacles facing a young woman of color int he STEM field, Naia’s resume also includes:• B.S in Aerospace Engineering with special concentration in Astronautics and a minor in Computational Mathematics Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University• NASA Pathways intern in the Science and Space Technology Systems branch at Glenn Research Center• Member and research assistant of the High-Power Electric PropulsionLab at Georgia Tech with a focus in plasma diagnosticsA 2017 McNair Scholar, Naia is involved in a variety of professional, philanthropic and developmental extra-curricular activities on and off campus, including NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), DreamsSoar Inc., Vision of Flight, the ERAU chapter of the Society of Women inSpace Exploration (SWISE) at Embry-Riddle, and Tech Sassy Girls, amongst others. She has been a speaker, volunteer, and workshop host at various STEM outreach events and hopes to continue her work in deep space exploration and inspire the next generation of diverse STEM Leaders.