Florida Tech students Peyton Hay and Sloan Hatter have been named 2025 Astronaut Scholars. They are two of 74 undergraduates from 51 universities and colleges across the country to receive the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s (ASF) prestigious, generous gift of up to $15,000 per student.
The award is given to exceptional college juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). In addition to the cash award, selected students also have access to professional networking with astronauts, alumni and industry leaders.
Hatter is a rising fourth-year student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science with minors in computational mathematics and philosophy. She said she’s been driven by “insatiable curiosity” since she was a child. This drive continues to fuel her pursuit of education and discovery.
“As a first-generation college student who grew up in a struggling area, this drive to question, explore, and understand the world around me became deeply ingrained,” Hatter wrote in her ASF essay. “It has consistently inspired me to seize every opportunity to learn, grow, and overcome any challenges I may encounter.”
In her first three years of college, Hatter tutored elementary school students in reading and math; worked as a robotics lab technician for engineering instructor Lee Caraway; and completed several engineering internships. She is also president of both Florida Tech’s branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the university’s Phi Eta Sigma chapter.
She is currently between the Air Force and the Navy Officer Training School. After graduation, she hopes to commission as an officer in the United States Air Force. Eventually, she’d like to go back to school to study systems engineering or electrical engineering.
Hay is also a rising fourth-year student. He’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering after nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps. In his ASF essay, he wrote that he’s fascinated by the underlying physics between antennas in our daily communications systems. He’s ecstatic to be back in the classroom and hopes to lead a career as a researcher both on Earth and in space.
“I hold learning as such a privilege in my life, and I am committed to making the most of that privilege by leading a career as a researcher on Earth, and hopefully one day in space,” Hay wrote.
As a Florida Tech student, Hay was selected for the NASA Pathways internship program at Kennedy Space Center; worked as a research assistant in assistant professor Madhur Tiwari’s Autonomy Lab; and is the president of Florida Tech’s SCUBA Club. This summer, he is conducting research on metasurface antenna technology at the University of Michigan and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in applied electromagnetics.
“The 2025 class of Astronaut Scholars brings fresh energy, creativity and determination to the ASF community and carries forward the legacy of innovation and courage that began with our founding Mercury 7 Astronauts,” said Caroline Schumacher, president and CEO of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. “We’re excited to see how their passion and talent will help fuel meaningful progress across STEM fields.”
ASF will present this year’s scholars during its Innovators Symposium & Gala featuring the Neil Armstrong™ Award of Excellence on Aug. 13-16 at the Omni Houston Hotel in Houston, Texas.
ASF was founded in 1986 and awarded its first seven scholarships in honor of its founding members, the Mercury 7 Astronauts — Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton.
Each founding member sponsored a $1,000 scholarship and began to fundraise to support future scholarships by donating proceeds from their speaking engagements. The incredible efforts of these legends have shaped ASF’s mission to support and reward exceptional college students pursuing degrees in STEM fields. Over the past 40 years, more than $10 million has been awarded to more than 900 students.
