Growing up, I was always interested in space because of my dad. We had a telescope, and some of my favorite memories are of looking at planets together and learning about space. I loved science, but when I was younger, I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do. I just knew I wanted it to be something related to space. Like a lot of kids, I even thought I wanted to be an astronaut.
When I joined Higher Orbits’ Go For Launch! program in 2019 as an eighth grader, everything started to feel more real. The program introduced me to people who were actually working in the space industry and showed me that there were so many different paths into STEM and space exploration.
During the program, my team worked on a project studying termites in microgravity. We wanted to observe whether termites would show behavioral differences in space and measure how much methane they would produce. Our project involved designing an experiment that compared termites in space with termites on Earth over a 30-day period using cameras and methane sensors. Being able to work on a real experiment connected to space research at such a young age was incredibly exciting and eye-opening.
One of the most important parts of my experience has been the mentorship and opportunities Higher Orbits provided afterward. Michelle Lucas has been an amazing mentor and has helped open doors I never imagined possible. Through Higher Orbits, I’ve had the opportunity to attend American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) conferences in Orlando and Las Vegas. One of the most memorable experiences was attending the conference in Orlando during my junior year of high school and being able to bring my nana with me. It’s a memory I’ll always cherish.
Attending conferences and meeting professionals in the field helped me discover my passion for space medicine and space research. Seeing the work being done in those areas made me realize that this was something I truly wanted to pursue in my own career.
Today, I am a pre-med student at the University of Kentucky studying agricultural and medical biotechnology. I will be a junior in the fall, and I was recently accepted into the American Heart Association program, where I’ll be conducting research this summer in the physiology department at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
Looking back, Higher Orbits gave me opportunities I would not have had otherwise. It changed how I saw my future and helped me realize that there is a place for me in STEM and space research. What started as childhood curiosity turned into a real direction for my future, and I’m still building on what I learned there today.
