When Allegra Farrar, BS ‘20, was visiting colleges, she was drawn to GW’s Washington, DC, location, as well as the way in which “the school draws in so many diverse minds that are excited about exploring and tackling the current issues of today.” As a student within SEAS, Farrar also valued the school’s close-knit community, and “that community aided in my own development as a student,” she explains.
During her time on campus, Farrar, who studied mechanical engineering with an aerospace concentration, was a Clark Engineering Scholar, which provided her with valuable professional opportunities and peer support. As part of the program, she greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to work with Atoms to Astronauts, designed to expose young students to STEM. “I had the opportunity to help host after-school programs for elementary students in the DC Metro area, which exposed me to the importance of ensuring that all youth have access to discovering all the possibilities of what they can do with their futures,” Farrar reflects. “It has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences of which I have been a part.”
Outside of the Clark program, Farrar kept busy as a member of the GW branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as the GW chapter of the National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE). “As an African American female student, being a part of this community has been an immense source of support,” Farrar says. “Attending the NSBE convention in 2019 gave me the inspiration to attend graduate school after college for a Ph.D. and for that I am truly grateful.”
Farrar excelled as a student and was inducted in two honors societies, Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma, and received the Undergraduate Space Research Association’s distinguished undergraduate award. She was especially proud to receive the Walter and Christine Darden Scholarship in 2019--Christine Darden was one of the NASA researchers featured in the book Hidden Figures. “Receiving this scholarship was an amazing honor and reaffirmed that my success in this field is not merely determined by who I appear to be, but rather who I strive to be,” she adds.
Farrar is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at MIT, where she is studying aeronautical and astronautical engineering. “Above all, SEAS fostered a spirit of constant learning within me,” she states. “I believe that no matter what turns I take in my career from here on, my time studying with SEAS as an undergrad laid the foundation for me to have an abundant and limitless career.”