Paromita Mitra

Early life and education

Mitra is the daughter of Amal Mitra and Ratna Mitra and has one older brother Amlan. She grew up in Hattiesburg and is currently a senior at Mississippi State University studying Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Mathematics.

Throughout her years at Oak Grove High School, Mitra served as senior class president, homecoming queen, and participated on the robotics team, cheerleading squad, wind ensemble, gifted art program and speech/debate team. During this time she was selected debate team MVP for acting, All-American cheerleader nominee, and won multiple awards for her oil painting and fashion design pieces.

Mitra received consecutive highest ratings for piano with the National Festival of Music Club and was a clarinetist in Mississippi’s District 5 Honor Band.

At MSU Mitra is a member of American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics (AIAA), MSU Space Cowboys Rocket Design Team, and MSU Fashion Board- a selective on campus modeling group for print and runway work. She also worked as an undergraduate researcher for a NASA funded program where she received 1st and 3rd place recognition both regionally and nationally for her research.

Mitra can speak four different languages, has once flown a plane, and also traveled the country of Italy on a study abroad program.

Mitra is also an advocate for higher education and NASA’s S.T.E.M. platform: influencing science, technology, engineering, and math topics in the youth. As the educational outreach co-director of The Space Cowboys, Paromita & her rocket team received 1st place in the nation from AIAA for their work with education. She has traveled to schools all over Mississippi speaking about rocketry and space topics while implementing hands-on activities to promote science. Each year the team holds the Middle School Launch Challenge to encourage model rocketry.

Mitra served as a summer camp counselor at Abbie Roger’s Civitan Camp for the special needs community.