Matthew Werneken CC’25 is graduating with a B.A. in astrophysics after completing a B.S. in mechanical engineering in 2024. Werneken found community in the Columbia Space Initiative (CSI), where all Columbia students can contribute to aerospace challenges and research with no barrier to learning. In CSI, he found lifelong friends and mentors over his years of technical project leadership and various organizational roles. Werneken now focuses on creating community for his underclassmen peers and supporting new leaders on campus, which requires challenging his own perspectives about peer advocacy and leadership every day. Recently, Werneken has found extraordinary reward in building Columbia’s first Aerospace Engineering Minor alongside his friend, Kate Lampo SEAS’25, and his mentor, Professor Mike Massimino. He is privileged to have a direct hand in designing student education and is grateful for the overwhelming support from faculty and students in Columbia Engineering on the pathway to an aerospace major.