Florida Tech Panthers Lacrosse Player Karly Liebendorfer Named 2023 Astronaut Scholar

With a cumulative GPA of 3.81, Liebendorfer is a rising senior and midfielder

The ASF was born in 1984 in honor of the Mercury Seven, a select group of seven astronauts chosen in 1959, the same year in which Florida Tech was founded.

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Karly Liebendorfer of Florida Tech women’s lacrosse was named a 2023 Astronaut Scholar, as announced by Astronautscholrship.org.

The scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is awarded to those considered amongst some of “the best and brightest minds” in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The Astronaut Scholarship is awarded annually to college students across the nation, who are a junior or senior academically pursuing a degree in the field of STEM and plan further their education in STEM following the completion of their final degree.

Liebendorfer is one of two Florida Tech recipients this year, and one of the 68 recipients nationwide, for the 2023 scholarship. Along with Florida Tech, other recipient schools include MIT, Purdue, Johns Hopkins, and Georgia Tech.

With a cumulative GPA of 3.81, Liebendorfer, a rising senior and midfielder for the women’s lacrosse program, has been racking up academic awards all year.

For the 2022-2023 academic year alone, Liebendorfer has earned the title of Outstanding Student of the Year by the College of Engineering and Sciences Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering & Sciences, named to the 2023 Sunshine State Conference Spring Honor Roll and the Florida Tech Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

“I was super excited when I was notified, I was an awardee,” said Liebendorfer.

“Not only is it significantly impacting my financial aid, but it is opening a door to an amazing network of people. I am most excited about the new connections I’m going to make; the foundation is a huge family! I feel extremely blessed and thankful to be recognized among many other outstanding applicants!”

This past season, Liebendorfer played in 14 games, recording 10 goals and one assist for 11 points, with 17 ground balls, four caused turnovers, and six draw controls.

The ASF was born in 1984 in honor of the Mercury Seven, a select group of seven astronauts chosen in 1959, the same year in which Florida Tech was founded.

These seven astronauts, Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard, and Deke Slayton were a part of the Mercury program which represented NASA’s first human spaceflight program.

Each founding member was responsible for sponsoring a $1,000 scholarship and fundraising to support future scholarships to later be awarded to college students pursuing a degree in STEM. Since the creation of the scholarship in 1984, the ASF has awarded nearly $8.3 million to nearly 800 students.

In 2023, each recipient is awarded a scholarship of up to $15,000 as well as the honor of being named an Astronaut Scholar, the opportunity to network and mentor astronauts, alumni, and industry leaders, in their respective fields.

The scholarship also includes a chance to participate in the Michael Collins Family Professional Development Program, and a paid trip to Orlando from Aug. 16-19 to attend ASF’s Innovators Week & Gala.

The gala will feature the Neil Armstrong Award of Excellence, which provides an opportunity for Astronaut Scholars to present their research at a technical conference.

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