Hello, JustSpace followers! While last month’s Artemis II mission finally expanded the list of humans who have travelled beyond Earth orbit to include a woman, a person of color, and a non-American,1 the demographics of human who have been to space (or even just work in a space-related field) is still far from representative of our species.

The good news is that there’s a growing number of organizations and individuals working to make space more inclusive, both in terms of who has access to a space career and who has access to space itself. This month, we sat down with one of these people dismantling the barriers to space: Aisha Said, the founder and CEO of Universal Inclusion, which currently has applications open for their Aerospace Scholarship. ​This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Q&A with Aisha Said

What are your current positions?

I actually hold two positions: I’m the Founder and CEO of Universal Inclusion, as well as the Director of Programs at Space for Humanity.

Can you tell me about your career path, and how you ended up in these positions?

I grew up in rural northern Canada, where there was a lack of education and where it was really difficult for individuals to not just go to post-secondary– because there weren’t any post-secondary institutions up north– but to qualify, and more importantly, to trust that you could [complete higher education]. There was a lot of self-doubt and negativity surrounding education, because of what happened during the residential school era. So there was a lot of trauma surrounding education, and it wasn’t seen as something that got you on the right path. It was something to be a little bit hesitant about, worried about. And even if you went through it, would you end up where you wanted to? It was very uncertain.

Then my family moved to Southern Alberta, Canada, where, all of a sudden, education was a key to opening any door that I wanted, if I worked hard enough. And that really got my wheels turning about: “Why is this population given the key and this [other] population is not?” So I entered into a degree in international development studies and was particularly interested in curriculum design and education as equity.

I worked in Mexico as an educator, came back to Canada, got a second degree in inclusive education. I’m one of those people that really like to be challenged, and the hardest thing in the world is having a room full of diverse individuals and making sure every single person finds success, as defined by them. So it was really exciting, and I was able to work as an inclusive educator in Macau, China, and in Dubai in the UAE.

I then worked a little bit in curriculum design, and ended up switching, oddly enough, into human resources. I continued to carry that interest in equity, and I started to do a lot of hiring. I worked my way up into a chief human resource officer, and I worked with this really innovative startup. Startups are where you can really make anything happen; the founders usually want you to dream big. I challenged the norms of HR, and I put in all kinds of different initiatives, inclusive hiring practices, inclusive training, really rocking the boat and making sure that inclusion wasn’t tokenistic. I did what I would do for kids [in education], for adults [in hiring], and it went really well.

Then it was just happenstance that I ended up working for a company that loved space. A new organization called Space for Humanity needed some HR support and hired me. And I didn’t think much of it, I just did what they needed. I liked the team– that’s what got me interested. I didn’t really understand what was going on, to be honest. Like I said, I come from a background where reaching for the stars wasn’t really attainable. So this idea of: “We’re working in the space industry, democratizing access to space”? That’s for other people. That’s for rich people. That has nothing to do with me and my reality.

So I just slowly started working for them, and they had this really interesting problem, which was: We have thousands of people and we need to choose one person to go to space. And I said, “Oh, that’s easy. Just put in an inclusive, unbiased selection process. No big deal.” And they were like, “Oh my God, no big deal?” It’s no big deal. It’s just space. It’s fine. And so they let me tackle that problem.

It was through that [work that] I started to read all these applications of people who were in love with space, but having this real issue with the space industry, open access, certain demographics, just not having any entry points. And if they did, there was all of this difficulty in advancing. It was very “who’s who.” Having worked in hiring, I could see so many gatekeepers that didn’t need to be there in this day and age. It felt so antiquated and didn’t make sense because this should be, like, the tipping point of technology.

So I started to really get interested and excited in that [kind of work]. And when my [current Director of Programs] position came up, I put my hat in the ring and I got it. Then I was sold and I started to really fall in love with the space industry.

Can you give us a little overview of Space for Humanity and their mission?

Sure! Space for Humanity is a nonprofit based out of the U.S. They have the mission of democratizing access to space for individuals. They had the first sponsored, commercial spaceflight, where I was involved in the selection of citizen astronaut number one [CA1], Katya Echazarreta, who was the first Mexican-born woman to space. And Sara Sabry, CA2, who’s the first Egyptian, the first woman from the African continent, and first Middle Eastern woman to go to space, to pass that Kármán line– I was involved with their selection and supporting them on a one-year impact project.

The idea is that Space for Humanity wants to choose people who are passionate about changing the world and take them up to space to have the Overview Effect, have that transformative change where people say they come back on fire to change the earth.

[These are people who are] already doing things to make change. This should just be an accelerator.

So that’s what we do: We send folks up and help them on their leadership journey to do sizable impact post-flight.

Selection for space travel seems like a very complicated, thorny problem to me. But I also know from my experience, inside space science and the hard sciences, that we tend to ignore existing work and try to reinvent these hard problems from scratch. So I love that you came in and said, “Yeah, we just do an inclusive selection process. This is something that has already been worked on in human resources and education.”

Yeah, it’s really interesting, because I’m a big believer that the universe puts you in the right places, you might just not understand why. So, having worked for years fighting for people to be seen, to have access to education, to have access to work… It seemed like such a small problem, because I came from a mindset of: “Everyone is deserving.” There might be supports needed, and that’s where we work, and the structure is built. But, if an individual puts their hand up and, after understanding what that spaceflight means, if they have no issues, then, structurally, let’s work with them to make sure that they can go.

I’d also love to hear about your work with Universal Inclusion, which is a more recently founded organization, right?

Exactly. Universal Inclusion came about around three years ago. I would say Space for Humanity was really the impetus for it, because I was reading thousands of applications, looking for someone to send to space. People who had strong leadership, community development, and impact, people who were on fire for solving a problem that helped humanity. You read one and you’re like, “Oh my God, that’s amazing.” You read two and you’re like, “Oh, that’s inspiring.” You read thousands and you’re like, “I can do that and I should do that. And if we all did that, what a change this world would have.”

I saw that I was developing this unique skill set, this unique point of view, and having one foot into an industry where it’s almost impossible [to break in]. So wouldn’t it be great if I started something to lend my expertise? And so Universal Inclusion was born. Our mission is to help people enter into and thrive in the space industry, particularly folks that have not seen themselves there before and who have barriers built in already.

We do that through three or two initiatives right now, working on a third launching later. The first one is through our podcast. Stories are so important. I’ve talked about living all over the world, and I’m so on fire with traditional education, and that is oral storytelling. That is learning through how people have navigated through a problem. So the storytelling on our podcast is people sharing how they entered into the barriers they faced, and what it looks like. Not just at the end [of the journey], like: “I obtained this career,” or “I had this spaceflight,” but as they’re weaving their way through. We want to talk to everyone, from entry to where they’ve landed at an end point. It is for the listeners to see themselves, to learn how to navigate [this path], but also for folks that maybe don’t understand the plight of others to get an inside scoop of what’s going on for folks that have barriers to entry.

The second thing that we do is we have a scholarship which we launched, the Universal Inclusion Aerospace Scholarship. It’s the first scholarship of its kind, because it is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, studying at a post-secondary college or technical institute.

And they could be studying anything– It doesn’t have to be a hard science, as long as they tie it back to wanting to enter into aerospace. As we’ve been talking about for so long, we need everyone [for space work]: We need communicators, artists, you name it. So we didn’t want to restrict [the scholarship based on] what people studied. My own experience is that I have two art space degrees. So who am I to say, “You’ve got to come from the hard sciences”? I know the importance of being able to do a career change and using those applicable skills.

So yeah, we’re really excited about that initiative, which has an application deadline of June 1, 2026.

Speaking of entering space-related fields from backgrounds that aren’t the traditional hard sciences, do you have any advice for students who are listening to your story, who may be coming from areas like education or human resources or art, but who want to contribute to humanity’s future in space? How can they get involved in the kind of inclusivity work you do, or just in space generally?

The main issue is that the structure– which we’re trying to change– makes it hard to break into.

I think there’s two things you can do. First, work within the structure, knowing that it is not meant for everyone. It’s extremely selective and it’s on a “who’s who” basis, so as you enter into that, have that in the forefront of your mind.

But at the same time, I would really suggest linking up with like-minded people who have brilliant skill sets and building something that then you can navigate into that structure. If the majority bands together with their passion, with their skill sets, with their knowledge, then goes into the workforce offering their services to the traditional structure, that creates a power imbalance that we’ll be able to see relatively quickly. There’s real power in numbers.

It sounds like you’ve had a very international career. I have had difficulty with my own work in figuring out how to be more international in our collaborations and our efforts. I’ve struggled with that partly because, culturally, I’m coming from an American-centered mindset, and partly because of things like language barriers. Do you have any advice for working towards inclusivity at a geographical level, in particular?

It needs to be a real, thoughtful plan of action. It doesn’t just happen. There are a lot of nuances, internationally, in different regions of the world.

I live in Egypt, and when I talk to people about what I do, [the response] is, like, “Okay, but the rest of us are worrying about real issues, housing instability, food instability.” And I get that. If just going to post-secondary [education] is unattainable for most of the world, it means that the average individual won’t even go for the first step [towards working in a space-related field], let alone the many steps it takes to get into the different seats at the table.

I think it really starts with the youth: going and doing programs, doing talks at universities, showing them conversations they can participate in. There are a few pockets of people moving and shaking internationally, but I think it takes more than that. It takes really activating the youth. So it might be something that takes you a while to really get. But if 10 people are doing it, 15 people are doing it, then all of a sudden, you’re going to be changing people’s mindsets, and that will ripple out into– maybe in 20 years time– a real, large community equaling what we’re seeing in North America and Europe.

I know a lot of space scientists who grew up on science fiction. Are there any stories from your youth that inspired or set the tone for your work?

In space circles, a lot of times, you’ve got die-hard fans of science fiction. Sometimes I’m in meetings, and– I’m going to be completely honest– the guys go off on their love of XYZ [science fiction story]. There are figurines, and there are LEGO sets, and there are all kinds of different things, and that is almost like their fast pass, because they’ve been in love with space for years.

Okay, now let’s flip it to what my childhood looked like. I didn’t have access to television, okay? I was raised in northern– I’m talking northern– Canada. People were still trapping for food. One neighbor had a giant satellite dish and we could get snippets showing what kind of shows you could get if you paid for a satellite package. I would watch the intros on a loop, but it was, like, The Sonny & Cher Show.

There was a library, but it was like a community center. It had, like, 20 books that I would lurk through. If I’d had a library like larger cosmopolitan centers had, of course I would have fallen in love with that. And my imagination and interest in problem-solving definitely would have latched on to something like Star Trek. For sure, I would have loved that. But I didn’t have access to that. As an adult, though, I love a little Star Trek: The Next Generation, of course.

What is your vision, your hope, or your ideal vision of humanity’s future relationship with space?

Well, it’s one that I think is pretty far-fetched. My vision, my perfect scenario would be that communities around the world, regardless of technology– We take these different perspectives from around the world and set up a real egalitarian think tank of how we enter into space. That would be the perfect scenario for me.

I think the problem is that we’re really cutting people off at the legs. People in general, they can get these ideas [that] you’ve got to have this degree and that degree and this experience [to contribute to the future of space]. No! People from around the world, they don’t need a science background to understand what stewardship of space looks like.

So, at that metaphorical table, you would have all kinds of different ideas, all kinds of different ways to steward, to support, to educate, to do outreach. And it wouldn’t be: “Who’s the first to do it? Who’s got the most money? Who’s got the most tech?” It would be: Humanity as a whole has decided to do X, Y, and Z. And it’s very purposeful, there’s values attached to it. There is slapping of the hand if you’re doing anything that is not supporting whatever norms are decided upon, be it environmental norms, cultural norms, you name it. And having an international community to uphold that.

Now, saying that, I really don’t see that happening because we can’t get that together for stuff that’s happening on Earth.

Something else that I have been thinking about a lot that gets overlooked is the infrastructure that’s going to be needed. We can imagine who will be leading things [in space] and how things will be decided in terms of the structures of organizations. But what we’re not thinking about is who is going to be building it. Where are they going to be? How are they going to be treated? Because most likely, if we were to look at how this went down [historically] when people have gone to new places, it’s a lot of question marks and people who aren’t the ruling class are put in harmful situations. So I’m worried about that: When we do venture off planet, who goes, and how are they supported? And if there is no way for them to have a direct line back to the global community, how easy would it be to have breaches of humanitarian law, and for people to just disappear and blame it on something else.

What do you wish the general public knew or was willing to learn about space?

Hmm. Being an educator and curriculum designer, I think that this is an interesting question because I’m in a lot of rooms where people want to do curriculum for the masses to educate them. I think that question needs to be flipped a little bit. I love TikTok, because it is very raw, it’s very open, and it has the masses asking questions about things that they don’t necessarily have access to. So I think that those [people] that have keys to rooms and information and resources, and who want to educate [the public], I think they just need to enter into these communities without the curriculum, just asking what they want to learn about, and that will be a kind of “A-ha!” moment.

For me it was [when I got] access to resources. That was when I realized, “Oh my God, [space] is gonna be a trillion dollar industry. And the majority of the world don’t know about it, don’t have access, and never would.” And that really piqued my interest. So I think you just really need to connect these two different groups, and [interaction] will organically take place, then you can begin building a curriculum off of these different interests. It’ll change with different groups in different places around the world.

We talked a little bit earlier about the power of communication, of traditional education. Just come and sit down with your wealth of knowledge. People don’t need to know the ins and outs, the XYZs. Plunk yourself down and just be like, “Guys, I’m involved in the space industry.” That’s enough of an opener for people to ask you a bunch of questions. Then you can go back and work on a curriculum and develop something that’s a little more formal.

How can people support Universal Inclusion or learn more about your work?

At Universal Inclusion, we are always looking for volunteers who are interested in supporting [our mission]. What I usually do is that I’ll have a conversation with someone, and then we’ll create a role for them based on their expertise, passion, and what we’re needing, rather than just do a call for admin support or something. So don’t be afraid to put your hand up! We’ll find something that works for you with your own availability. We also practice what we preach in terms of inclusion, so we have very honest conversations with folks about how we can support them. I think it’s a place where you can feel that you can really be yourself as you’re learning and collaborating and working towards our aligned mission.

Also if you’re someone who has an organization and you’re wanting to support inclusion, we’re always looking for podcast sponsors and would love organizations that could be sponsors and be shouted out in episodes, as well as founding partners for our scholarship. This is really speaking to organizations that are thinking outside the box, who want to engage the next generation of the workforce.

Anything else people should know about your work?

People always ask, can Space for Humanity send them space?

Can they?

They can! Keep an eye on our social media and sign up to our newsletter because applications will reopen again. I don’t know when, but you can always be preparing. We already know what we’re looking for: people who are doing change. Leadership, community development, and impact in the world, that’s what we look for. Those are our three pillars.

So if you have this inkling, this thought: “Oh, what if I did this [work to make an impact in the world]?” Do it, document it, continue to amplify it, because that very well could be what gets you to space.

Take Action

Are you an undergraduate or graduate student studying any major but intending to enter the aerospace field? Are you part of a group of people who have historically or currently face barriers to the aerospace field? Consider applying for the Universal Inclusion Aerospace Scholarship! Applications close in June 2026.

A reminder from last month’s newsletter: the Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) will take place online and in Madison, Wisconsin on May 17-22.

We also invite you to apply to join the JustSpace Alliance at bit.ly/JustSpaceApply! Members have access to our virtual community spaces, and in the future, we’ll be able to offer in-person gatherings, more podcast and video content, writing, and more. Supporting JustSpace will help us reach our mission goals by allowing us to compensate people for their time and labor for our future projects, as well as help us cover basic costs like maintaining our website, etc. You can find more information at bit.ly/JustSpaceMemberFAQ.