Originally from Western North Carolina, Casey has always had a passion for airplanes. She was first introduced to aerospace engineering at a summer camp in elementary school, solidifying her dream to work at NASA. She attended other aerospace engineering summer camps in high school, including Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics at Appalachian State University and Summer Engineering Camp at North Carolina State University.
She began her first internship at NASA Langley Research Center only two days after graduating from high school in 2011. Interning under Dr. Bruce Owens in the Flight Dynamics Branch for five summers throughout her undergraduate education, she worked on dynamic wind tunnel tests, including forced oscillation and rotary balance testing of the FASER aircraft. After receiving her Bachelors in Aeronautical Engineering in 2015 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she began her Doctoral studies at Virginia Tech. Three years into her program, she received a Pathways position in the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch at NASA Langley and moved to Hampton, Virginia to work full time while completing her degree. After a successful dissertation defense in 2022, Casey converted to a full time employee in the Aerospace Systems Analysis Branch.