April 28, 2026 - Mechanical and aerospace engineering doctoral candidate Melissa Lepe received a Graduate Student Excellence Award at UC Irvine’s 9th annual Latine Excellence and Achievement Dinner (LEAD) on April 16, 2026, at the Pacific Ballroom in the UCI Student Center. 

LEAD recognizes students, faculty, staff and leaders who support student and research excellence in the Hispanic/Latine community at UCI and throughout Orange County. 

Lepe is a first generation Mexican American college student and the daughter of immigrant parents. Her research focuses on a community-centered approach to integrating Advanced Air Mobility (a new form of aviation transport, commonly referred to as Air Taxis) to ensure performance and social equity are at the forefront of its implementation. She is advised by Jacqueline Huynh, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and works in Huynh’s UCI Aircraft Systems Laboratory, where her passion for creating sustainable aviation systems was formed. Lepe also works with Natascha Buswell, associate professor of teaching in mechanical and aerospace engineering,  In the STREAM (Streamlining Teaching, Research, Equity, Access, and Mentoring in STEM) Laboratory, which conducts research in engineering education methods.  

“Just as she directly inspires those around her, Melissa's work continues to be a source of inspiration,” Huynh said. “Through her research on integrating community voices within aerospace, she has the potential to enable long term positive sustainability in future aviation systems.”

The LEAD award is just one of many accolades for Lepe. She has received a graduate fellowship from the United States Department of Transportation Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center, an Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the American Society for Engineering Education Pacific Southwest and the UCI Victoria Alegria Tracy Endowed Graduate Student Fellowship.  

Lepe shares her experience with others as a mentor at the Office of Outreach, Access, and Inclusion, which assists undergraduate engineering students pursuing higher education, as well as a graduate mentor for the University of California Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS). Lepe hopes to pursue a faculty position after completing her doctorate, and plans to create an accessible and inclusive environment for students.

Lepe appreciates the recognition by LEAD and feels encouraged. She says her greatest source of inspiration and motivation comes from her parents, who left their families and lives behind in Mexico to pursue a better future for her and her siblings. 

“To have the opportunity to do higher education and be recognized for my contributions in this space makes me feel like their efforts, dreams, and goals are also being achieved,” said Lepe. “I am proud to be a product of their dream and also be able to inspire other Latine students in engineering to dream big, be loud, and achieve great things.” 

– Grace Hefner