Timeline

I went to Whitestone School in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

In Botswana I went to Busy Bees, then Broadhurst Primary School in Gaborone, where I graduated in 2012.

I spent the year at Legae Academy.

I started at Maru-a-Pula School in Gaborone, where I studied until 2020.

I wrote ALACOM, a messaging app built as a console program in Visual Basic .NET, and kept improving it in numbered releases. Details ↗

I earned 5 A* and 4 A grades in my Cambridge IGCSE exams. Details ↗

The Sunday Standard featured me among Maru-a-Pula's top IGCSE students. Details ↗

I founded the Maru-a-Pula Rocketry and STEM Club, the school's first student-led rocketry program, and started building solid-propellant rockets from scratch. Details ↗

I received a Science Olympiad (Informatics) Certificate of Achievement from the Botswana Science Association, as part of the International Junior Science Olympiad selection. Details ↗

At the Lebone STEM Derby in South Africa, Maru-a-Pula placed first overall and my rocket won the gold medal.

I wrote my essay for the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards, on better uses of satellites. Details ↗

Mmegi printed Maru-a-Pula's results page with my AS-Level results. Details ↗

The 2018 DStv Eutelsat Star Awards winners were announced in Accra, Ghana. I won 1st place in Africa in the essay category, the first Botswana win in that category. Details ↗

The win was covered by the MultiChoice Group newsroom, News Ghana, Botswana Unplugged and Mmegi. Details ↗

The Botswana Guardian ran "Botswana's Future Astronaut is Born". Details ↗

The Patriot on Sunday interviewed MultiChoice Botswana's managing director, who described me as the continental winner. Details ↗

At the African Leadership Academy STEM Derby, I entered a parabolic solar concentrator, and Maru-a-Pula was runner-up.

Mwananchi in Tanzania covered the win, and I was interviewed on Yarona FM. Details ↗

Space in Africa published "18-year-old Tanaka Chonyera wants to lead Zimbabwe to space." Details ↗

I gave an assembly talk to students and parents at Broadhurst Primary School, the primary school I attended. Details ↗

I received a certificate of appreciation from the Maru-a-Pula Naalano Leadership Conference. Details ↗

I received the BSPCA Service Award through Maru-a-Pula School Service. Details ↗

The Star Awards prize trip took me to Paris and then to Kourou, French Guiana. Details ↗

I watched Ariane 5 flight VA251 lift off from the Guiana Space Center. Details ↗

The Botswana Guardian covered the trip. Details ↗

MultiChoice Botswana released "DStv Eutelsat Award's Botswana winner sets Africa's sights on space". Details ↗

I started a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace Concentration at Michigan State University on $140,000 in merit-based scholarships.

I worked as a Mechanical Design & Nuclear Physics Research Intern at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, designing and building a high voltage divider for laser spectroscopy as a Wielenga Research Scholar. Details ↗

I was on the aerodynamics and powertrain team of MSU Formula Racing. Details ↗

FRIB's Greensheet featured the high voltage divider. Details ↗

I presented my poster, "Accurate High Voltage Measurement for Laser Spectroscopy," at MSU's undergraduate research forum as first author. Details ↗

The MSU College of Engineering wrote me a letter of recommendation. Details ↗

I worked as an Applied Research & Additive Manufacturing Intern at Fraunhofer USA, where my boron-doped diamond electrode method cut production time by 40%. Details ↗

I served as Secretary and Communications Chair of the MSU chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.

A paper in Biosensors acknowledged me for experimental help with the Fraunhofer electrode work. Details ↗

I worked as a Development & Process Engineering Intern at First Solar in Perrysburg, Ohio. Details ↗

I led the aerodynamic body design team for MSU Solar Racing as my senior capstone. The cockpit design cut drag coefficient by 50%. Details ↗

The MSU College of Engineering named me a 2024 Boeing Scholarship recipient. Details ↗

I graduated from Michigan State University's Honors College with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Details ↗

I started at Eli Lilly and Company as a Project Manager, Capital Projects.

I organized a rocket field trip to the Indiana Rocketry launch at Pence.

I drafted the plan for a free High-Power Rocket Bootcamp with MEPI, the Minority Engineering Program of Indianapolis.

The first cohort built rockets at Camp Dellwood on August 2, 9 and 16 and launched on August 24 at the ROCI field in Muncie. Details ↗

The Fall 2025 cohort built its rockets. Wind scrubbed both November launch days, and the cohort flew on February 8, 2026. Details ↗

Two Winter 2026 cohorts built rockets at Camp Dellwood. Details ↗

The Winter 2026 and Fall 2025 cohorts launched at the Indiana Rocketry field in Pence. Details ↗

NSBE selected me for its 25 Under 25 Class of 2026. Details ↗

WTHR ran "Indianapolis engineer launches free rocket boot camp for kids". Details ↗

97.5 WCOS (iHeart) Morning Rush picked up the WTHR story. Details ↗

I was recognized at the NSBE Annual Convention in Baltimore. Details ↗

The Week Junior profiled me in its People section, and Lilly featured my STEM mentorship during National Volunteer Week. Details ↗

At LDRS 44 in Pence, the largest high-power rocketry launch in the world, I made 34 flights, the most of any flyer. Details ↗

The Spring 2026 cohort launched at LDRS 44, with 39 rockets from my group. Details ↗

I ran a one-day build for 75 students at Enlace Academy, the first replication of the bootcamp at another institution. Details ↗

Fox59 Indy Now ran a segment on the bootcamp with the City of Fishers, also aired on CBS4. Details ↗

I ran a one-day build at the Indiana Black Expo Youth Leadership Summit with Purdue University. Details ↗

I ran a one-day build at the Indiana State Museum's Space Day. Details ↗

The City of Fishers cohort built at the Fishers Maker Playground and launched in Muncie. Details ↗

System Three Resins became an in-kind supporter.

For Lilly's Global Day of Service, students built rockets at Hattie B. Stokes Elementary in Lebanon with 124 volunteers and launched at Sheridan Airport. Details ↗

Governor Mike Braun's Letter of Recognition was presented at the Sheridan Airport launch. Details ↗

I spoke to Professor Miranda Carter's public relations class at Franklin College. Details ↗

I received an Eli Lilly Rise recognition, nominated by Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer Eric Dozier. Details ↗

The Indianapolis Star published "Meet Tanaka Chonyera, the man aiming to inspire next generation of rocket scientists," syndicated by Yahoo and MSN. Details ↗