Women's Track & Field

Morgan State's Fleetwood Selected for Astronaut Scholarship

Courtesy of Morgan State Athletic Communications


BALTIMORE, Md., July 19, 2020--Morgan State women's track & field student-athlete Micaela Fleetwood was selected for the prestigious Astronaut Scholarship.
 
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) was founded in 1984 by the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts with the mission to ensure that the United States would be the global leader in technology for decades to come. The ASF partners with universities, industry leaders and individual donors to reward the best and brightest university students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
 
"This is a great honor for Micaela and a very proud moment for the track and field program, and the Morgan State University family as a whole," Morgan State head track and field coach Neville Hodge said. "Micaela has big goals. She works very hard to balance her athletic obligations along with her academics and continues to excel as a student-athlete.
 
"Having a student of this caliber as part of our program means a lot to us because it shows that we are not just developing athletes, we are developing scholars as well who will lead the world in the future."
 
A native of Hagerstown, Md., Fleetwood transferred to Morgan State this past 2019-20 academic year for her junior campaign and was awarded the scholarship on May 20.
 
"Initially, I was in shock because I wasn't necessarily expecting to be awarded, but was really honored to be nominated and be able to represent Morgan as an Astronaut Scholarship candidate. Overall, I was and still am ecstatic though," Fleetwood, who is a Biology major and minor is in both Chemistry and Psychology, said. "I feel really blessed to have access to all of the benefits that come with it like mentorships, internships, and a network with peers who are also interested in and pursuing STEM research."
 
The scholarship is competitively awarded to students at 41 partnering universities across the nation, including such institutions as the University of Chicago, the University of Texas at Austin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, Washington University-St. Louis, Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University.
 
ASF scholars receive substantial support in the form of a $10,000 scholarship, mentors, professional and personal development and networking with astronauts and major executives and industry leaders to help advance their careers.
 
Fleetwood is an active member of research labs in both biology and psychology. She has been learning about experimental design and a variety of wet-lab research techniques under the mentorship of Dr. Yuejin Li, assistant professor of biology. With Dr. Li's assistance, she is developing a proposal for ASCEND's Health Research Concepts Competition to receive grant funding for a study of cardiac muscle function at the molecular level.
 
At the same time, she has also been working with Dr. Ingrid Tulloch, assistant professor of psychology, and Dr. Timothy Meeker in the Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital on a neuroimaging meta-analysis on mechanical pain and central sensitization. During this study, she has been learning about the use of meta-analysis software and reviewing scientific literature.
 
Despite a shortened season on the track, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fleetwood scored a season-high 2,734 points to place second in the pentathlon at the Eastern Shore Invite hosted by Maryland Eastern Shore. She also recorded a season-best jump of 15-07.00 in the long jump to place eighth at the Penn State Tune-Up.
 
"After I graduate, I plan to take a year off to work and apply to medical school, preferably one with a MD/PhD program so I can do research," Fleetwood said. "At this point in time, I'm really interested in becoming an OB/GYN because I really enjoy connecting with women, particularly those in underserved communities.
 
"There are so many different areas in medicine that I could possibly be interested in though. I would honestly just be honored to be able to provide quality healthcare and answers in almost any specialty to any patient who is entrusting me to do so. I aspire to be a voice for those in underserved communities and to continue to bridge the gap in healthcare disparities."