Vanessa Van Decker

My physics teacher Ms. Lawrence was such an incredible mentor to me, and encouraged me through physics olympics, studies, and evenings at Mack house. Mr. Prokopchuck wasn’t even my teacher but was so generous to volunteer his lunch hours to teach me linear algebra for my facial recognition project in AP computer. The amount of teachers who shaped who I am and encouraged my pursuit of science and engineering are too numerous to count and I am so grateful.

The Brentwood robotics team is where I fell in love with mechanical engineering and working with my hands. The ODP gave me incredible adventures with which to advance my interest in whitewater kayaking and rock climbing. I still go to the water and the mountains when I have an opportunity to escape from my everyday life.

Brentwood teaches independence but also exposes you to the exceptional range of possibilities you can pursue and gives you the tools to excel in them. I learned how to reach out for help outside of the classroom, and to treat mentors as part of my network and community.

Immediately after graduation I pursued mechanical engineering under the president’s scholarship and Loran provincial scholarship. At Brentwood I learned the value of community and along the way to graduation, I collected many more awards which broadened that definition. I won the Zenith Pathways fellowship 2022, and the Brooke Owens fellowship in 2023. Those awards took me around the continent and the world. As a zenith fellow I worked as a mission operations engineer for Mission Control Inc. in Ottawa. As a Brooke Owens fellow I worked as a mechanical test engineer for Zipline doing medical delivery with drones in San Francisco and Ghana.

After graduation, I completed a masters in space engineering in Strasbourg France and now live in Bordeaux working as a flight operations engineer for space capsules at The Exploration Company.

Now I am a flight operations engineer working on mission planning and flight control from our mission control center here in Bordeaux, France. On a typical day I may be analyzing flight trajectories, scheduling subsystem checkouts, writing procedures, leading meetings with space agencies, or participating in mission simulations as we train for console operations.

I love working on challenges with my team and space operations is an exciting intersection of cross-disciplinary engineering expertise paired with strong communication skills and teamwork. The other flight operations engineers are inspiring to work alongside and are as kind as they are smart.

Outside of work I love to hike, last year I did a section of the Tour de Mont Blanc with my husband Constantine and dog Huxley. It is also wonderful to be able to head to the coast by Bordeaux for a sunset swim with local wine, cheese and produce. I miss canoe-tripping in Canada and look forward to getting out in the wilderness the next time I am home.

Looking ahead, I’m excited for our space capsule’s mission to dock to the ISS. I can’t wait to operate one of the consoles that help realize that milestone.

My advice for current Brentwood students is to take advantage of the incredible resources at your fingertips. I miss the sunrises on the ocean and used to go to early breakfast to get a study session in before class as the ocean was gilded and pink. Try new sports and arts! Sometimes learning what you don’t want to pursue is just as important as finding your passion. Find mentors, both one step ahead, and senior experts along your trajectory. Most of all, tenacity and the right kind of stubbornness have been the secret to my success. When the aircraft test fails, I have the materials and plans ready for test B and test C. Keep going, Ad Astra.