Ms. Mckenzie Golden is currently enrolled in the Professional Science Master’s program in pursuit of her Master’s of Science in Space Studies. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2025 with her B.A. in Astrophysics from Franklin and Marshall (F&M) College in Lancaster, PA. At F&M, Mckenzie engaged in black hole spectroscopy research under Prof. Ryan Trainor and pulsar identification and processing under Prof. Fronefield Crawford. This experience furthered her interest in the growing space sector and exposed her to team-based and individual research projects. In addition to this research, Mckenzie worked for three years as a tutor and ultimately Head Tutor of F&M’s Writing Center, where she gained valuable experience in team leadership, project management, problem solving, and written communication. She additionally contributed to F&M’s NANOStars (NANOGrav) team for four years and served as a Team Leader for two years in facilitating the success and growth of F&M’s most major-diversified research group. Her identification of a potential new pulsar was incorporated into published NANOStars research in 2022 (arxiv.org/abs/2207.12332). To continue strengthening her management and leadership skills, Mckenzie went out of her comfort zone and conducted wind ensembles and full orchestras at F&M during her junior and senior years, including at F&M’s 2024-2025 convocation and commencement. This wide range of experiences led Mckenzie to Rice’s Professional Science Master’s program, where she is able to combine a love of space sciences with a specialization in management, policy, and entrepreneurship. She is excited to incorporate project management skills to advance her technical science background and help lead teams of scientists in their shared goal of advancing human space exploration. Mckenzie knows that people are more than the sum of their accomplishments– she also loves playing the clarinet, following the New York Jets, and reading science fiction novels.