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Who Are We?

In the spring of 2019, ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä WoAA originated as SWISE, which stood for the Society of Women in Space Exploration. Transitioning during the fall of 2019, our chapter became an integral part of the WoAA organization. Since then we have been a growing chapter providing community, inclusion, and support for women, non-binary students, and allies. 

A Letter From the Founder:

Hello all! 

It is with great pride and joy that I welcome you to WoAA, a space that I first created in 2019 with hopes that those who have been historically excluded from aerospace engineering will be able to come together and share in struggle and in joy. Our values are rooted in community building through professional development, ensuring that people can come together personally while expanding professionally. Having experienced sexual and gender harassment and discrimination in the program, I felt incredibly isolated and frustrated with the lack of a safe and supportive community for gender minorities in our department. In addition to numerous logistical, financial, and resource hurdles that come with starting an organization at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä, I was constantly met with apathy and discouragement. Despite how truly difficult it was to start and run an organization, we successfully founded WOAA in 2019 with the help of BOLD and a few likeminded peers. We knew that this was a space that needed to exist in the institution. Through that first year, I learned a lot about creating a community and showing up for the five people that show up. I especially need to recognize my first executive team, who were endlessly patient and supportive to me trying to figure out how to lead and communicate. 

As you move through your college career, you will face incredible opportunities and challenges. The person that you consciously choose to become through the next few years will pave the way as you continue onto academia, industry, and the world. My hope is that through this community, you can validate each other in your struggles and successes, advocate and support each other in meaningful ways. I am honored that you chose WoAA to be part of your chapter at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä and I hope you will continue the fight for increased access and inclusion wherever you may journey next.

Like all good communities, WoAA was not built in a day. The organization has continued to flourish and take hold within the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Aerospace community and beyond. It has been one of the most bittersweet experiences to watch the organization grow from afar — the offerings of WoAA and its members have exceeded any expectations I had when it first started, so thank you all for building this community together. I hope these words can serve as a reminder to be bold in the face of adversity, to lean on those around you, and to create the reality that you want to see. 

If you would like to continue the conversation or ask questions, I am open as a resource to you: please find me at  or via shuyulin [at] mit [dot] edu. 

Ad astra per aspera,
Michelle Lin