Andrew Garza

Drew began his military career in the medical field, deploying with a combat support hospital almost immediately after his enlistment. Treating an endless flow of casualties in Mosul, Iraq, it was this deployment that quickly taught him the cost of war, the value of leadership and the impact of policy decisions at the battlefield level. Drew returned home and retrained to be part of a specialized electrical engineering unit, with which he deployed dozens of times, providing electrical expertise for disaster relief missions across the United States, joint operations support around the world and two additional combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The unique nature and high visibility of these missions provided Drew with a focused leadership experience, as well as the satisfaction of helping those in need, both at home and abroad.

Even though he served in several different roles during his time in the military, Drew’s passion has always been in the stars. While on active duty, he methodically worked towards his undergraduate degree, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Space Studies shortly after separating from the military. Fulfilling a childhood dream, Drew is now working for NASA while pursuing his graduate education in space policy at The George Washington University. He wants to play an integral part in crafting the nation’s space policies to not only execute bold exploration in space, but also to provide economic benefits, security for American interests, and support for global humanitarian efforts.