Get to know an Astroscale U.S. Intern: Julia Boyle

Introduce yourself! Where did you grow up? 

Hi I’m Julia! I’m from Long Island, New York. I go to the University of Michigan where I’m getting my master’s in aerospace engineering. I’m also a part of an acapella group on campus which I love. Singing has always been a big part of my life and my family. 

What is your role at Astroscale? 

I’m a Proposal Management Intern, so I work on anything involved with proposals and other writing projects. I’ve really gotten to work on my project management skills and see the entire proposal process start to finish. I go over a lot of documents to make sure everything is consistent and there are no grammar errors. 

What interested you in proposal management? 

I saw the proposal management internship posting on the Astroscale website and I thought the management aspect of the space industry was super important. In my college classes we’ve gone over proposals a little bit, but I thought it’d be good to experience the whole process.   

What sparked your interest in space? 

When I was a little kid, my elementary school had an astronaut club, so I joined and realized I really liked astronomy. I started taking out books from the library and reading up on it. I got to high school and took Earth science and physics classes which led me to study astrophysics during undergrad. 

Why did you choose to intern at Astroscale? 

When I was looking for internships, being in the space industry was important. What I really liked about Astroscale is that it’s a smaller company and had a very interpersonal experience on top of work life. 

What has been the highlight of your internship so far? 

For one thing, getting flown out to Colorado and getting to see a new place was really great. Also getting to see the proposals from start to finish was exciting. I got to write a little bit of one of the proposals, and it felt good knowing that the work I was doing was actually turning into something. 

What are you looking forward to in the upcoming weeks? 

I’m looking forward to more big projects – our first submission for some proposals is coming up, and I’m excited to see where it takes us. 

Which part of the office is your favorite? 

The coffee machine! I love coffee, and I’ve run out of it at the hotel …  

Who at Astroscale has been a great mentor to you and why? 

Phil Templin, the Senior Proposal Operations Manager, and Quinn McKemey, our Proposal Writer, have both been great mentors so far. They’ve really shown me the ropes and taken me under their wing when it comes to learning all the proposal stuff.  

Advice for recent college grads or potential interns? 

I would say go outside of your comfort zone, try new things. I think it really expands your horizons when you do something you’re not used to. It’s so important to explore – there’s no better time than the present. 

How do you spend your time outside of work? 

I like to ride my bike. I always have the goal of getting lost on my bike so I’ll just keep riding until I don’t recognize where I am. It’s a lot of fun because I’ll come across new places I’ve never seen before. 

Star Wars or Star Trek? 

To be fair, I haven’t seen Star Trek. But I love Star Wars, especially R2-D2.