Sadie Powe
Name: Sadie Powe
High School: Furlow Charter School
College (Current or Future): Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Major/Intended Major: Aerospace Engineering
Financial Aid Program: Dual Enrollment, HOPE Grant
During her sophomore year at Furlow Charter School, Sadie Powe discovered that she was a Martian at heart.
To learn more about returning to her ancestral home, Powe completed a summer internship at her local airport to learn more about airplanes.
“I loved every second of it,” Powe said. “Working on the engines, maintaining the airport, flying, and even waxing the planes told me that was the environment I'm supposed to be around.”
In order to soar even higher, Powe acquired a student’s pilot license and has flown five hours as pilot-in-command. She was accepted into attend Space Camp in May of 2020 in Huntsville, Alabama where America’s space program was born. However, that takeoff was canceled due to the global pandemic.
This past summer, Powe used Dual Enrollment for courses at Georgia Southwestern University (GSW) and the HOPE Grant for classes at South Georgia Technical College (SGTC), the latter to earn an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certificate.
“It has helped me get a head start on my degree, saving both money and time because I won't have to pay for these courses later,” said Powe, who is currently enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) majoring in Aerospace Engineering. “It has also assisted in developing a mindset for the culture and how to approach college academically.”’
With Dual Enrollment, Powe took courses at SGTC throughout her time at Furlow Charter School. The additional credits allow for the possibility of ERAU’s Accelerated Master’s program.
“That would be applied for in my Junior year and I would begin master’s classes in my Senior year, potentially graduating with both my bachelor’s and Master's in Aerospace Engineering (within five years),” Powe said. “This is very ambitious and I'm taking it semester by semester, but with proper planning and hard work I believe it is attainable.
That attitude is ideal for “Project Home”, an ERAU student club working towards hydroponic gardening (plants independent from soil, relying on solely water) for future missions to Mars.
“Although COVID-19 has limited where we go and what we can do, it cannot limit our aspirations,” Powe said. “I've been living by that statement the past six months.”