Meet UCF’s 2025 Astronaut Scholars

Born from the challenge of the space race, UCF was created to transform imagination into innovation and prepare people to launch humanity beyond its limits. Today, we are still where our place where our people's curiosity drives discovery, bold questions shape the future and exploration advances life on Earth.

Founded to reach the moon, we're already on our way to the next frontier. Built for liftoff, America's Space University celebrates UCF Space Week Nov. 3 -7.

America's first astronauts, known as "the Mercury Seven," will forever be known as the men who began this country's journey into space. Twenty-five years after beginning their quest, the surviving astronauts from our original space race launched the Astronaut Scholarship to help ensure the U.S. would be the global STEM leader for the next space races

The Mercury crew would be impressed with what's happening at SpaceU in 2025: a space MBA, an aerospace medicine program, a HyperSpace Center and three more recipients of the prestigious scholarship they established. This year, the committee chose 74 juniors and seniors from 51 universities, and UCF is one of only three universities with a trio of winners - Keanu Brayman, Kyle Coutray and Sun Latt.

Each student reminds us that you never truly know what fuels a person's trajectory toward discovery until you reflect on the journey that brought them into orbit.

Keanu Brayman at the Visitor Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Photo courtesy of Keanu Brayman)

Keanu Brayman

Mechanical engineering student and Burnett Honors Scholar

There's a good reason Keanu Brayman changed his major a few times before settling on mechanical engineering.

"Space exploration is a broad topic," he says, "and I want to understand everything - the development of the spacecraft, sending it, landing it and discovering with it."

His curiosity led him to consider aerospace engineering, robotics, computer science and the ultimate: sitting in a capsule aimed at the moon or Mars.

"Like a lot of kids, I always wanted to be an astronaut," Brayman says.

A childhood fantasy that began with Legos in the living room has blossomed in multiple labs at UCF. In the Optical Imaging System Lab, he designed a 3D printed housing for optical vision systems with space applications. In the Stephen W. Hawking Center for Microgravity Research, he advanced a rover wheel testbed to simulate conditions on the moon's surface. Today, in his fourth year, he's working in the Astrodynamics, Space and Robotics Laboratory (ASRL) researching optimal control on a robotic arm for space proximity operations.

"My overarching goal is to help humans become multi-planetary, with enough sustained lunar infrastructure to take us further into space." -Keanu Brayman, student

"I never imagined the steppingstones in my life would take me this far," he says.

He can vividly describe each step, with his mom encouraging him to dream big. When she noticed his interest in science, she and Brayman's dad saved enough money to buy a Lego robotics kit. They invested in a modest telescope so he could spot Jupiter from their home in South Florida. One night, Brayman's mom took him to the beach, where they watched the streaking speck of a distant space shuttle launch up the coast.

"That small glimpse made space technology more tantalizing for me," Brayman says.

No one in his family had a STEM background. They lived paycheck to paycheck, and he didn't know if college would be affordable. That changed when his FIRST Robotics team visited UCF, where he heard faculty say they wanted students like him to join their research teams.

"It was hard for my mom when I left home," says Brayman, who earned the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship, "but she knew I needed to follow my ambitions."

Those ambitions unearthed more steppingstones at UCF. He joined a competitive rocketry team, earned an internship with NASA, and started a club: the Society of Innovation and Neurodiversity in Engineering, a community of students overcoming challenges like ADHD.

And now the Astronaut Scholarship.

"It was always a pipe dream to meet an astronaut someday. But at our ceremony, every time I turned around, I met another astronaut and expanded my network of mentors," he says.

The support came at a time when Brayman needed it most as he was going through significant personal struggles.

"The scholarship has been a light. It reinforces what my mom always told me: 'You can achieve anything you set your mind to.' Her belief in me will always be my driving force," he says.

Kyle Coutray speaking at the 2025 Astronaut Scholarship ceremony. (Photo by Emily Jourdan/Astronaut Scholarship Foundation)

Kyle Coutray

Computer engineering and biomedical sciences student, and Burnett Honors Scholar

It doesn't sound quite right when Kyle Coutray says, "I don't absorb complex topics instantly."

This is a UCF senior pursuing two demanding majors. His multiple research projects are always related to the most complex system ever discovered: the brain. Yet Coutray admits that he relies on basic learning habits, like taking copious notes, staying up late with his flashcards and mapping out small steps to learn big concepts. Coutray's steady approach reflects a deeper drive, one he credits to his parents and his faith.

"I truly have the world's best parents," he says. "They always encouraged me to push my limits to become the best version of myself. I also believe God blessed me with a healthy mind that I can stretch to make a difference for others."

That mindset took root in high school, when Coutray launched an apparel brand by teaching himself the step-by-step process from design to sale. While it found success, he sensed there had to be another door into a more meaningful future. That conviction deepened when he came upon a neighbor lying in the road after a skateboarding accident.

"Some say space is the final frontier. I believe it's the brain, with its 100 trillion connections. Exploring it will take the same spirit of discovery that drives us to the stars, and the Astronaut Scholarship fuels my own spirit to make the next discoveries." - Kyle Coutray, student

"I had done the same thing with my friends countless times, and in an instant his life was changed forever. That was the moment I realized how fragile the brain is. Later, when I began studying neuroscience at UCF, it offered me a way to reconcile that experience and a clear sense of purpose."

At UCF, Coutray has found ways to act on that purpose. He volunteers for ACEing Autism, where he facilitates adaptive tennis activities for children on the autism spectrum. Even intramural sports have offered him practical lessons that carry into his research.

"During my first year I was juggling so much that I stopped taking care of myself, and my productivity dropped," he says. "When I got back into sports and focused on my health, everything improved - school, relationships and research. I'm a firm believer that a healthy body is critical to keeping the mind sharp."

Coutray carries that same philosophy into the intersection of engineering and neuroscience. His focus is on decoding neural signals and developing assistive technologies that restore function and empower people of all abilities. What began as a way to process his neighbor's accident has grown into a life's mission: to give people their lives back.

Sun Latt (left) working with another researcher at UCF. (Photo courtesy of Sun Latt)

Sun Latt

Biomedical sciences student and Burnett Honors Scholar

Sun Latt is having a moment. Actually, he's having a year. You might remember Latt for winning a Goldwater Scholarship last spring. Or he could look familiar as an Order of Pegasus recipient. Here he is a few months later with the Astronaut Scholarship to complete a student triple crown of sorts - although Latt is too modest to say so himself.

"It's been surreal and I'm thankful beyond words," Latt says, "but there's so much more to be done."

Latt has worked on nanomedicine research with urgent focus since he found his first lab as a first-year student. Three years later, he has worked alongside a team of researchers to investigate the advantages of using a novel nanoparticle in magnesium orthopedic implants: the bone heals faster and the implant dissolves without leeching toxins. He has also contributed to nanomedicine research with preventive applications, such as a delivery system to silence the gene that causes osteoporosis.

"I've been challenging myself for three reasons; To become a good scientist, to make sure my mentors and the people who've supported me are not let down, and so I can be the best mentor possible in the future. - Sun Latt, student

"We've explored the basic working principles in a glass dish," Latt says, "so now other researchers can see how the nanoparticle interacts for healing applications beyond bone."

This doesn't mean he's finished.

"When you're always trying to innovate, you're never finished," Latt says.

For his honors undergraduate thesis, Latt is leading a project that incorporates nanobubbles to deliver medicine into the body before releasing it precisely where and when it's needed. He envisions using AI to take another leap and future applications for nanobubbles in space.

"For me, it's all about healing the body," he says. "That's what motivated my dad, even with his limited resources and without formal recognition or awards."

Latt's parents immigrated from Myanmar. His dad learned to be a doctor so he could care for people who needed the most help - especially in rural areas. Latt carries that same compassion into his research, fully conscious that accomplishments are not his alone.

"I've been a lifelong learner, and I look forward to being a lifelong teacher," he says.

Those interested in the Astronaut Scholarship and other opportunities should reach out to the Office of Prestigious Awards at [email protected].

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College of Engineering and Computer Science College of Medicine student success Office of Prestigious Awards Burnett Honor College