An-Ya Olson

An-Ya grew up in Arlington, VA, where she began her training at BalletNova Center for Dance at the age of three. In addition to her pre-professional dance training, she studied as a classical harpist for 10 years. She was inspired to pursue a career in STEM after exploring the intersection of science and the arts for various projects in high school.

An-Ya studied Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University, earning her Bachelor of Science in Engineering in 2022 and her Master of Engineering in 2023. During her time at Princeton, she was an active member of Princeton University Ballet, Expressions Dance Company, and the Princeton University Orchestra.

Currently, An-Ya works as an engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (APL), contributing to projects across several domains, including maritime robotics, space situational awareness, and missile defense.