After our Florida rocket launch experience and after my senior graduation, it honestly felt like nothing crazy was really happening. I didn’t have much to look forward to except for the daunting first day of university. That was until a few weeks ago when I woke up to an email from Michelle inviting me to be a part of the ASCEND panel in Vegas at the end of July. I did not know what ASCEND was at the time, but a few quick Google searches filled in the gaps. The one thing that quickly grabbed my attention was the chance to network and possibly find internship opportunities. I’ve been searching for some related to my major, Information Technology, but it’s been quite difficult. I find it fascinating that the United States spends, on average, over 73 billion dollars annually on space research and activity, and it really shows how many different fields in the space industry there are!
Being a part of this ASCEND conference is just one way for me to be able to explore different aspects of space. ASCEND’s focus on Space Security and Protection is closely aligned with focus areas such as cybersecurity in the Information Technology field, so I hope to visit the companies that have that as their overarching goal.
The ASCEND conference aims to connect various space sectors along with many advanced and growing industries to showcase the opportunities and address the challenges that present themselves as we actively explore and expand in space. My passion for space has been reignited from my time in the Go for Launch! program in which my team was able to contribute to the expansion of the space frontier using a species of fungus that harnesses radiation-shielding properties to protect space material. During this event, I would love to share, with industry professionals, the findings of our data from the International Space Station and what that could mean in terms of the application of our experiment. I do admit, though, that knowing that I will be speaking in front of many professionals is a bit nerve-wracking, but it is definitely a learning experience, and I hope to get ideas to expand on this experiment in the future with my teammates!
Since my time with Higher Orbits, I have had the pleasure of being part of such a life-changing experience and continue fueling my passion for space. I am always looking for new ways to connect with like-minded individuals focused on student empowerment and diversity in STEM! I am especially excited to meet Kaley and Stella,
who will also be on this ASCEND panel. I am super eager to hear about their journey with the Higher Orbits Go for Launch! program and how it has impacted them so far! I am grateful (and thrilled) that Michelle has selected us to be a part of yet another out-of-this-world opportunity.
Written by Zahra Ali
