Sarah Overbeck has always been intrigued by the vastness of space.

As a child, she explored this interest by gazing at the night sky and watching episodes of Star Trek. As a college student, Overbeck still enjoys these things — but she’s also preparing for employment in the aerospace industry.

“I want to contribute to the next stage of human exploration,” she said. “I want to use my skills to give a unique perspective, provide insight that may not have been considered.”

To prepare for impact, Overbeck is involved in many STEM-based campus organizations — Society of Women Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, where she’s served as president.

But her leadership experience doesn’t stop there. Overbeck also worked with the Admissions Office as a campus orientation leader, where she gave tours of campus to incoming students.

“I first met Sarah when she was selected as an orientation leader in 2016. Throughout the orientation season, she was always energetic, had a positive attitude and was a huge help to both new students and academic advisers,” said CECS Academic Advising Director Lisa Remsing. “She has been an excellent ambassador for welcoming new students to UM-Dearborn.”

In addition to Overbeck’s extensive campus involvement, she’s completed a summer internship at NASA, where she worked on the electrical testing team for the NASA Glenn Vacuum Chamber. Along with NASA’s advancements, Overbeck follows the efforts of SpaceX, Blue Origin and others on autonomous takeoff, docking, and landing of reusable boosters and capsules.

“My long-term goal is to be a factor in the pursuit of space,” she said, “even in some small capacity.”