My involvement with Higher Orbits started during my junior year of high school, when I attended Higher Orbits’ Countdown Breakfast event. At this event, my friends and I learned that Higher Orbits’ Go For Launch! program would be coming to Mars, PA for the first time. We immediately decided that we wanted to participate and formed a team. Throughout the 3-day event, my team and I researched, designed, and presented our experiment, and got to collaborate with former NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence and Higher Orbits’ founder, Michelle Lucas. Go For Launch! was an amazing experience, but at the time I had no idea it would lead to many more opportunities, such as attending this year’s AIAA SciTech conference.
This Fall, I started my undergraduate Aerospace Engineering degree at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. So, when I heard that AIAA’s SciTech conference was being held nearby in Orlando and Higher Orbits would be attending, I knew I had to reach out to Michelle and explore how I could become involved. When Michelle invited me to represent Higher Orbits at SciTech, I was thrilled.
I am so excited to attend the SciTech conference because it will be an amazing opportunity to learn from and build connections with industry professionals and researchers who are shaping the next generation of space technology. I have never attended a conference of this size before, so I’m looking forward to connecting with thousands of others that share my passion for space and engineering.
I’m honored to be attending SciTech with Higher Orbits, and I am even more excited to be able to speak about my experiences on a panel with other students who share my interests in space and science. Speaking at SciTech will be an experience that will help advance my skills and confidence as I continue to work toward my goal of completing my degree and pursuing a career in aerospace engineering.
Written By Stellar Student Madelyn Massucci
