Sumer Hernandez, a 2026 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach Campus, is working as an intern at SpaceX while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in space operations. The 22-year-old from Titusville grew up watching rocket launches from her home near Cape Canaveral, a routine part of life on Florida’s Space Coast. Hernandez said the sound of engines roaring to life and the sight of plumes streaking across the sky ignited her passion for aerospace long before she enrolled at Embry-Riddle.
Her father, a 1998 Embry-Riddle alumnus, introduced her to the university through family trips to campus events. During one visit as a teenager, she saw the university’s one-meter telescope for the first time and knew she wanted to study space operations. “Those early experiences made Embry-Riddle feel like home,” she said. “It’s where I decided to follow in my dad’s footsteps.”
Hernandez’s current internship at SpaceX comes as the company prepares for a series of launches from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, just 30 miles from her hometown. She is assisting with mission planning and data analysis for upcoming Starship test flights. “Working on real projects at SpaceX feels like living the dream I had as a kid watching launches from my backyard,” she said.
Her academic focus on space operations includes coursework in orbital mechanics, satellite systems, and space policy. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in aerospace engineering after graduating in December 2026. Hernandez is also involved in Embry-Riddle’s student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where she helps organize events for local high school students interested in STEM careers.
The Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach Campus, which enrolls over 7,000 students, has become a hub for aerospace education since its founding in 1955. Its proximity to Cape Canaveral and NASA facilities gives students like Hernandez unique opportunities to work with industry leaders. Hernandez said her goal is to eventually lead a mission to Mars. “I’m just getting started,” she said. “But I know where I want to end up.”