Over the past few years of my academic career, I’ve had the opportunity to grow my strengths in a variety of different areas. Entering my final semesters of college, I found myself wanting to utilize those skills that I had been honing, in an honest and meaningful way. This summer, I have gotten a couple of absolutely life-changing and overall stellar opportunities yet. First, getting to be the summer 2026 Intern for Higher Orbits. And second, getting invited to participate in the latest Go For Launch! Event in Midland, Texas.
During my education, nothing has quite compared to my experience at the Go For Launch! event that I was invited to. Getting the chance to intern at such an inspiring organization this summer was already exciting enough, but having the opportunity to travel to Midland and actively participate in the event made the experience even more meaningful. Since my internship with Higher Orbits is remote, I've only gotten to speak with Higher Orbits CEO, Michelle Lucas through email and a few zoom meetings. So, getting the chance to finally meet her in person and get to know her face-to-face was super exciting.
When I arrived in Midland I felt a mix of emotions. I was nervous, but more than anything I was just so excited to actually see what it was like to participate in the Higher Orbits community. My first time meeting Michelle in person was wonderful. Our introduction was full of energy, and we jumped right into talking about the event and what was to be expected. Later that evening, Michelle asked if I would like to join her in picking up guest astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger from the airport for the event. Of course, I said yes – because who wouldn't want to go to the airport and pick up someone who has literally been to space.
One detail that helped make this experience even more special is that I am originally from Washington state. While I was doing some research on Dottie and learning about her background, I noticed that she had not only attended college in Washington, but she had also taught as a teacher there. During my senior year of high school, my school hosted a “NASA Night” where guest astronauts shared their experiences and participated in a Q&A with students. I went to this event and that was that. Yet somehow, four years later, I found myself in Midland, Texas with my new boss and the very same astronaut who had once spoken at my high school.
This for me was absolutely astounding. I have had some very interesting coincidences in my life, but I don't think anything will ever compare to this. I was both excited and blown away at just full-circle this was, and at how truly meaningful it was going to be able to work alongside someone that I could have only dreamed of talking to in person years prior. This experience, along with the excitement of getting to know Michelle, really set the stage for the rest of the event.
The first day went by quickly. As students began arriving, I immediately got the chance to start meeting everyone and introduce myself. Right away, I could already tell that the people there were going to make the experience unforgettable. One of the first people I met was Brianna Ortiz, a longtime Higher Orbits participant from Midland who attended to help with the event. Talking with someone who was close to my age and who had already had first-hand experience with the program was incredibly reassuring. Hearing her stories about everything she had accomplished and achieved since joining Higher Orbits gave me a better understanding of just how impactful the program really is on students.
The actual event started with initial introductions before swiftly transitioning to Michelle, discussing what the participants would be working on during the event. There was a clear emphasis on teamwork, communication, and collaboration, which were all fundamental skills that were going to be essential to everything that followed. Seeing how quickly these students began working as groups was amazing. They were doing a great job of coming together and creating ideas that would contribute to the work they were doing. Watching them navigate through problems and analyze their likes and differences was really inspiring. There were many times I found myself thinking just how much I admired their teamwork.
The second half of the day was filled with even more team-building activities and interactive discussions. By the end of the day, students were introduced to the event’s main project: to design their own microgravity experiments. By this point, the groups had officially grown into teams.
Day two opened with the team's presentations, followed by Michelle speaking about her personal how per personal experience in the aerospace industry shaped her career. For me, it was really such a special environment to be in, because, just like the participants, I found myself soaking up every moment and learning as much as I could.
Prior to the Midland, Texas Go For Launch!, Michelle asked if I would be interested in leading my own activity. Of course, I was a little nervous because this was something I had never done before, but I also knew that it was an opportunity to challenge myself and grow. After a bit of researching into what I thought would be both entertaining and educationally beneficial for the participants, I decided on a truss bridge activity.
This activity stood out for a number of reasons. First, I felt that having a hands-on activity where the students could work together would encourage collaboration and teamwork. Second, this project required thinking outside of the box and gave the students the opportunity to experiment with different possibilities. Finally, the truss bridge directly connected to the International Space Station, which is held together using the Integrated Truss Structure. Planning the activity was super exciting for me, and I felt that it would be a great opportunity to see how well I do when leading a group.
During the event, I found out that Dottie had actual footage from space showing astronauts performing a spacewalk and utilizing the Integrated Truss Structure on the International Space Station. At the end of the activity, she shared the video and spoke to the participants about her own experiences working with the structure in space. For me, this was the best way things could have gone. The teams were able to collaborate on a project that I had worked on, and they were able to hear directly from an astronaut about why these types of structures were important. I was proud to know that created something fun and educational.
After some additional team exercises, participants got to finalize their experiments. Watching them work together was really one of the most incredible things I got to see during this event. I was astonished at how smart these students were and was really genuinely surprised at what they were coming up with. Each team had something creative, and every team had a different approach to working together. By the end of the event, you could tell just how proud and excited the teams were to present their work!
The final day ended smoothly and left me with an experience I will never forget. In all my years, I have never had an opportunity quite like this. Getting to know Michelle and Dottie while working alongside so many inspiring students is something that I will carry with me throughout my personal, and professional life. I am so grateful that I got the chance to make the most of the event and learn from such empowering women. The Higher Orbits community is a force, and I am lucky to be a part of it.
Written By Intern Kylie Pearson
