Higher Orbits has done something for me that I will always appreciate. When I attended my first competition in 2017, I understood space as this far-off idea. My exposure at the time had been documentaries, museums, and often dramatized films of space travel. That changed when I attended my first Higher Orbits event in 2017. The accessibility to industry professionals, the stories they told, and the very real opportunity to have something I made launched into space fundamentally changed my worldview. The distance between my 13-year-old self and space suddenly changed from an abyss to a bridge I could cross.
Due to the nature of the Durham series (2017-2018), I was lucky enough to participate in several Go for Launch events. Each time I went through the process of joining a team, researching, designing, and dreaming of an idea. Every time we would be short of success, and every time I’d get right back up and try again.
This tenacity has proven incredibly helpful in my time as a student at Embry-Riddle studying Aerospace Engineering. After every hurdle I tripped over, I have always gotten up, brushed myself off, and applied the lessons learned to the next challenge.
Most recently, Higher Orbits has once again become a part of my Academic journey after I volunteered to help at the 2025 Space Coast Go for Launch event this past summer. This also got me reconnected with the Higher Orbits network, giving me the opportunity to attend the 2026 Sci-Tech conference, something I have been looking forward to ever since.
As I approach the completion of my undergraduate degree, I have increasingly felt as if I am staring into an abyss of uncertainty. The opportunity to attend the AIAA SciTech conference has helped me feel more secure in my upcoming transition into the workforce, as I hope to learn more about how to best apply myself between now and graduation to thrive in the workforce.
It was Higher Orbits that first showed me the future I could have as an aerospace engineer almost 9 years ago. Today, as I approach a pivotal point in my academic career, Higher Orbits continues to help me along the path between where I am today and my dreams of the future.
Written By Stellar Student Jordan Kalisher
