Higher Orbits Announces the Five American Representatives to Attend the International Science School

Higher Orbits Galactic HQ – June 9, 2023 –

Higher Orbits has announced the five American students who will be attending the International Science School (ISS) at the University of Sydney in July 2023.

On March 20, 2023 Michelle Lucas, Founder & CEO of Higher Orbits, announced on Facebook Live that Stella Ristic, Sophia Crowder, Kiera Fehr, Brianna Ortiz, and Amitra Singh were the selected applicants who will be attending the Professor Harry Messel International Science School in Sydney, Australia.

The ISS will be held over two weeks from July 2-15, 2023. At the school, students will hear inspiring talks from world-renowned scientists, tour cutting-edge research facilities, and participate in educational workshops and activities.

“I love listening to people who are passionate about their work,” said Stella Ristic, rising junior from Illinois, on what she is looking forward to at the ISS. “I am just so excited to hear presentations from researchers and learn what other people are studying around the world. And hopefully, by learning with them and hearing about what they’re doing I can find something that sparks an interest in something that I had never thought of.”

Every two years the ISS is held at the University of Sydney for upper secondary school selected students to further expose them to career pathways in STEM fields.

Kiera Fehr, a senior from Kentucky, commented, “Hopefully with this experience I’ll be able to gain some insight and have an introduction to some different areas of science that can apply to my studies later on. I’d like to better understand certain topics like Math, Chemistry, and Physics which will help make that transition to harder classes a little easier.”

This exciting opportunity will also allow students to share their passion for STEM with individuals from around the world. These STEM-inspired minds will be encouraged to work together and challenge themselves to collaborate in a unique academic environment.

Washington junior, Amitra Singh expressed her anticipation to collaborate with others saying, “I am excited to see how research and application of skills is done in an academic environment, and I am also looking forward to expanding that knowledge and connecting with people who are also looking to learn!”

Of the 140 scholars attending the ISS, around two-thirds come from the states and territories of Australia. The final third come from partner countries around the world: China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the USA. The attendees from the USA will be representing the states of Washington, Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, and Virginia.

“I just think that building relationships is so important with everything you do,” Texan junior, Brianna Ortiz said about her excitement to meet the students from around the world. “I love getting to know people, and I think that it will be great seeing how other people live their lives because everywhere is different!”

The attending students are previous Go For Launch! participants.

Sophia Crowder, a senior from Virginia, expressed her appreciation for the program and excitement for the ISS saying, “I think there are a lot of hard and soft skills that Go For Launch! helped me to develop and direct my path. Working in a team setting and being put in a spot where we have to portray our ideas clearly and concisely and bring all of these ideas together is something that has definitely helped me a lot and I am excited to do again!”

This unique opportunity will be an incredible chance to exercise the attendees’ excitement and passion for STEM and create ties with others with similar interests around the world.

Founded in 2015, Higher Orbits is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization creating an experiential learning lab for secondary school students across the United States, focused on the multi-faceted worlds of space exploration, research, and spaceflight in order to launch the next generation workforce our world desires. www.higherorbits.org

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