LCCC Student Olivia Bogna is Engineering a Path Toward NASA

by Leigh Keeton

For Olivia Bogna, cold winter mornings at the bus stop are among her most treasured childhood memories. In those few moments, her father, a former Boeing engineer, shared with her his love of aviation and astronomy.

“I remember standing there waiting for the bus, and he’d be pointing out all the constellations to me: Orion, Taurus, Pleiades,” Bogna says.

It was an early exposure to space that stuck.

“Those moments translated over to aviation as I grew up,” Bogna says. “I became very fond of jets and planes. I would love going to the airport to watch planes take off. That has carried with me until now.”

Today, the 19-year-old from Avon is in her second year at Lorain County Community College, on a pre-engineering pathway. She’s an LCCC Presidential Scholarship recipient and a Choose Ohio First Scholarship recipient, which means she’ll earn her associate of applied science degree with no college debt. As the second oldest of four children, that was important.

“College is expensive and Lorain County Community College made the most sense from an affordability standpoint,” Bogna says. “It’s important to me, as an older sibling, to save my family enough money that I ensure my younger brothers can get a college education too.”

After LCCC, Bogna plans to transfer to a four-year university to study mechanical or aerospace engineering. One day, she hopes to work for NASA Glenn Research Center as a systems engineer focusing on propulsion systems, materials science or polymer science.

“I would really like to focus on using nuclear power to make rockets not only more fuel efficient, but stronger,” Bogna says. “I’m also interested in working with heat transfer, making sure that rockets can withstand the extreme temperatures of lift-off, or just trying to make our current spacecraft technology more efficient and cleaner.”

Bogna has a lot of things she’d like to do, one day. But while she’s at LCCC, she’s making the most of today.

In October 2023, Bogna learned of an Ohio Space Grant Consortium Community College research scholarship funded by NASA. The application was due in less than a week, but Bogna wasn’t fazed.

“I threw together my resume and all the materials needed and got that application in,” Bogna says.

Her idea for the research project was to explore the spectrum of active galactic nuclei.

“It was something that I touched on in a project in my high school astronomy class,” Bogna says. “Before I found out that topic was way out of the league that was being asked of me for that class.”

Regardless, Bogna won the scholarship. And while conducting her research, she learned of an opening at the Ohio Space Grant Consortium. They were looking for a new program assistant.

Again, Bogna applied. And again, she got it. As program assistant, she supports the scholarships and fellowships given to students around the country. She also coordinates funding for educational projects and programs at the college and K-12 levels.

“This role has made me very fond of STEM engagement and giving back to those that have helped me get to where I am,” Bogna says. “I actively work to support and help students wherever I can, as both program assistant and a student at LCCC, while creating opportunities for others to grow, apply themselves and succeed.”

Bogna admits she’s taking on a lot. But for her, she’s simply filling her time with what she loves.

“I love the hustle and bustle of this pre-engineering career I’m building,” she says. “What makes me go is just the love that I have toward the stuff that I’m doing. I got lucky when I chose this path because it’s what I’m interested in. This is my passion and my life’s work.”

LCCC is now enrolling students for classes that begin on or after January 21. Learn more at www.lorainccc.edu/enroll.