AIAA and Club for the Future’s Resilient Student Scholarship supports students interested in pursuing a degree in aerospace. This scholarship empowers students who have faced unique challenges, such as disabilities, difficult socioeconomic circumstances, or being the first in their family to attend college.
The recipient of the 2025 $10,000 AIAA and Club for the Future Resilient Student Scholarship, Robert Morris, is a bright star in his first year at Howard University.
Robert Morris was born in Pennsylvania and moved with his family to New Jersey when he was 14. When he was little, he had a fascination with black holes and singularities and strove to learn everything he could about the universe.
“I was homeschooled, so I had a lot of time to focus on what I enjoyed academically rather than spending extra time on standardized programs. I had more free time to look into the things I enjoyed and found interesting.”
In high school, Morris was accepted into two internship programs. He attended The Governor’s School of New Jersey in Engineering and Technology, an intensive residential summer program at Rugers University that brings together talented and motivated high school students. That opportunity elevated his excitement about engineering to a new level. “The goal of that internship,” Morris said, “was to introduce us to the different aspects of engineering: mechanical, materials, electrical, civil, and so on. We worked together in teams on novel research projects.” In addition to their projects, attendees also got to tour laboratories, sit in on classes, and meet members of the engineering faculty.
He also attended the NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) internship, where he collaborated with astronauts on the ISS, analyzing satellite imagery of Earth’s changing environment. It was an experience that showed him how aerospace technology can revolutionize our understanding of global environmental challenges. “Working directly with space-based data and connecting with professionals transformed my perspective from seeing aerospace as only rockets and satellites to understanding it as a powerful environmental monitoring and protection tool.”
“Growing up,” Morris said, “I used to love the universe and space, but the NASA SEES internship really boosted my love for space and astrophysics. That program was amazing because when I got home, that’s what kept me going and motivated. Trying to go above and beyond academic-wise … pushing me to keep going.”
For Morris, attending Howard University is a dream come true. He is in an advanced scholars’ program with a focus on research, planning to pursue a Ph.D. “My research interest is plasma physics. I got into it because I’m interested in renewable technology and renewable energy. Nuclear fusion is another huge passion of mine. I want to work on nuclear fusion and help develop that technology. And to get to nuclear fusion, we need to know how to control and understand plasma.”
A career in research is a natural path for Morris. “I like to ask questions. Research is just advanced high-level question asking. I love discovering new things, creating new methods to discover things. Being able to professionally ask questions is really fascinating to me.”
The AIAA and Club for the Future’s Resilient Student Scholarship is specifically designed to empower and inspire students who have faced unique challenges. Morris has been open about the experience of studying engineering as someone with ADHD.
“ADHD kind of shapes who I am,” Morris acknowledged, “I notice all the things that I do which are the result of ADHD. Some things are good, some things are not. But something that people with ADHD can do is they can focus sometimes a lot better than non-neurodivergent people. If it’s something that I really enjoy, I can find myself getting it done and focusing extremely well. Unfortunately, it’s not something you can just flip on and off … but that is sort of a hidden superpower of ADHD that I don’t mind.”
In addition to bringing him into the AIAA community, receiving the Resilient Student Scholarship also provided financial support. “It helped me take my focus off the financial stress. Doing a challenging major is a lot on its own, separate from the money to worry about. It’s like a huge weight off your shoulders as an engineer and as somebody planning to get their Ph.D.”
Morris is excited to continue his involvement in the AIAA community and is looking forward to the future. When asked about his career aspirations he stated, “I want to be one of the people who are coming up with new ideas and making breakthroughs.”
The 2026 AIAA and Club for the Future Resilient Student Scholarship application is open for current high school seniors to apply until 16 February 2026. Find out more and apply for a scholarship.
If you are interested in supporting scholarships like the Resilient Student Scholarship and other educational outreach initiatives, please consider supporting the AIAA Foundation.
