Matthew Isakowitz Commercial Space Scholarship
APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR SUMMER 2025!
Deadline: Friday, December 20, 2024
Overview of Program:
Presented by the Commercial Space Federation (CSF) in partnership with the Matthew Isakowitz Foundation Programs, the Matthew Isakowitz Commercial Space Scholarship (MCSS) is an annual scholarship for college students who demonstrate the passion and attributes to shape the future of the growing commercial space industry through space policies, an area that Matthew was instrumental in impacting from its earliest days.
Recipients receive a $1,000 scholarship award, consideration by CSF and its member companies for a summer internship in the Washington DC area, and unique opportunities to network with industry leaders and major policy makers.
Eligible students include college juniors, seniors, or graduate students at the time of application. To apply, applicants must submit a resume, unofficial transcript(s), and two short essays. An interview is required of finalists, with a select number chosen as winners. The inaugural Summer 2025 cohort will be selected in February 2025. Applications are now open, due on December 20, 2024. Further details can be found in the FAQ below.
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Matthew Isakowitz demonstrated that studying, understanding, and working in space policy can bring greater impact to any work in commercial space, from engineering to program management and beyond. For students with a career interest in commercial space, the MCSS program seeks to empower you with this knowledge of space policy as a complement to your journey so you can follow Matthew’s example of kindness, generosity, and bringing a deliberately well-rounded perspective to your work. Ad Astra!
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply?
The short answer is: anyone who a) is a US Person, b) is currently pursuing a bachelors, masters, or doctoral degree as of December 2024, c) will have completed at least three years of undergraduate studies by Summer 2025, and d) is interested in pursuing a career in the commercial space industry is eligible to be selected for our Class of 2025.
To give yourself the best odds of succeeding in your application, you should have the intention of pursuing a full-time career in the commercial space industry – however, as stated above, you can be enrolled in any major or concentration.
If you anticipate receiving your bachelors degree in the time period between submitting this application and the beginning of the summer, you are still eligible.
Similarly, while students who have only completed 90 credits (3 years of work) from AP/IB credits or dual-enrollment programs towards an undergraduate program are eligible to apply, it may be more difficult to compete against our talented applicant pool with more educational experience.
What is a “US Person?”
Due to ITAR regulations governing our host companies, the MCSS program is open to individuals who meet the definition of US Persons (US citizen, permanent resident, asylee, or refugee).
Per ITAR regulations: U.S. Person - a natural person who is a lawful permanent resident as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20) or who is a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). It also means any corporation, business association, partnership, society, trust, or any other entity, organization or group that is incorporated to do business in the U.S. It also includes any governmental (federal, state or local) entity. Typically this includes U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card holders), or protected individuals such as refugees or asylees.
How many scholars will be chosen?
We expect to select ~5 scholars for the inaugural Class of 2025.
How do I apply?
Please click the “Apply Here” button on the scholarship page of the website to be directed to the application! You will need your resume, unofficial transcript(s), and two short essays uploaded as a single PDF:
Essay Question 1: Personal Focus (250-300 words)
Please select only one of the two following prompts for your response:
Option 1) In commercial space, many ambitious and talented people work together to build successful business models and create new opportunities for growth, some of which are in conflict with each other. Reflect on your own life experiences and share a time when an exciting opportunity was at odds with a strongly-held belief. What decision did you make, and how did you communicate it with other stakeholders?
Option 2) In commercial space, the challenges involved in building and integrating novel capabilities demand long-term, consistent effort on exciting days and mundane ones alike. Reflect on your own life experiences and share a time when your passion for a project was put to the test by its sheer scale. What steps did you take to maintain focus, continuity, or high-quality work throughout the effort’s lifecycle?
Essay Question 2: Career Focus (500-700 words)
Why are you an excellent candidate for the Matthew Isakowitz Commercial Space Scholarship (MCSS)? Please address the following in your response:
Please explain how your previous experiences have shaped your career interest in commercial space.
Share a space policy issue that sparks your curiosity, and what critical questions you believe must be answered to shape the future of this issue.
Given your excitement about a potential career in commercial space, show how this internship opportunity factors into your personal and career development.
What is the selection process?
Every complete application received by the deadline will be thoroughly reviewed by multiple members of our Selection Committee. All applicants will be assessed based on their subject matter knowledge, their experience to date, their diversity of interests/education/experience/background, their academic record – and all of the other character strengths demonstrated by our program’s namesake, Matthew Isakowitz. The most highly qualified candidates will be selected for a telephone interview with a member of our Selection Committee. These phone interviews will be conducted in January 2025.
When all telephone interviews are completed, we will select our finalists and make our preliminary matches between candidates and Hosts. This match process will incorporate each applicant’s background and interests – but will also incorporate similar input from our Host companies as well as our Selection Committee’s expert knowledge. Each finalist will be paired with at least one potential Host. Finalists will be notified that they have advanced and will be paired with their potential Host(s) in mid-January.
In late January, Hosts will conduct telephone interviews with finalists. Each Host company will have its own interview process – some will require one interview, some multiple interviews, and some may desire a work sample. After that interview window closes, each Host is asked to submit feedback and rankings for each Finalist they have been matched with.
In February, our Selection Committee will make our final selections for the Class of 2025.
Do you offer scholarships during the Fall and Spring semesters?
No. For now, at least, all of our Scholars work at their Host Institution during the summer. However, this is subject to change in the future based on interest and host availability.
Additional questions?
Reach out to us at mifpteam@matthewisakowitzfoundation.org!