Yesterday I received my first
communication from a student who had read my blog and wanted my
advice. From time to time, a student who I meet or who is introduce
to me follows up to ask for advice or assistance. I expect and even
hope that this blog will open up my circle to include students and
interested parties who I wouldn’t otherwise connect with.
Since I created this blog a few weeks
ago, I’ve been thinking a lot about my audience. Primarily, my
writings here are a form of self-expression and my audience doesn't
much matter (no offense). I learned many years ago that I’m a
writer. Writing is how I best process information, from informal
brainstorming to therapeutic venting to chronicling my days. I have
the option of scribbling in a private journal, but I choose to
publish my words on the Internet for anyone to come across and
potentially gain something from.
Secondarily, I’ve determined that
this blog is also a continuation of my mostly failed attempts to
mentor students who are interested in space careers. With all of the
emphasis on mentoring in the professional community, one would think
that there would be avenues where a young professional working in the
field could communicate one-on-one or with a small group of
interested and enthusiastic students occasionally or regularly. I’m
a resourceful person but I have yet to find this opportunity, should
it exist. (Side note: I've just signed up MentorNet which wasn't
open to me before; let's see if it leads to anything.)
I have asked professors and
administrators at all three of the local universities in my area for
assistance in connecting with students. I have given guest lectures
at freshman seminar classes, specialized classes, and student clubs.
When I was President of the Florida Space Development Council, I
tried to connect with local chapters of the Students for the
Exploration and Development of Space to engage students with no
success. I have given my email address out to any student who asks
for it and tried to keep in touch with those who reach out to me. I
long to connect with students who may want mentorship or a continued
connection while they establish their careers. The closest I’ve
come is regularly tutoring local high school foster girls in math.
This effort comes from a strong desire
to give back as a thank-you to those who assisted and mentored me
when I was a student trying to navigate my career options. So many
people helped me along the way, both in big and small ways. They've
all meant so much to me, more than they know. I can’t begin to
thank them all or to repay their kindness, and so I pass it on, pay
it forward, try to do for others what was done for me.
When I was a student, I was hungry for
a connection with the world outside of my school walls. In middle and
high school I attended Space Camp and it inspired me. I was
enthusiastic about getting involved in the industry as soon as I
could. I attended a women in science workshop as a freshman in high
school and skipped out on my assigned sessions to meet two satellite
engineers. I jobshadowed three scientists and engineers at Goddard
Space Flight Center during my sophomore year of high school. Sally
Ride visited my high school during my senior year. I graduated high
school eager to pursue a space career.
In undergrad, classes and college life
sucked up most of my time. Despite only living an hour from Kennedy
Space Center, I found myself isolated from the “real world” of
the industry, buried in books, studying for tests, and enjoying
extracurricular clubs. This is how it should be, of course. But I was
desperate for a connection with the industry I so deeply wanted to
join. I latched on to every opportunity to meet professionals, but I
didn’t know how to reach them. No one offered me a clear path to
connect with people working in the field.
I continuously questioned my path,
wanting to know if I should pursue becoming an academic or a research
scientist or an engineer or a policy wonk or an educator or an
astronaut. Without a means of connecting to the industry, I relied on
professionals to reach out to find me until I got to grad school and
the world opened up to me more and more.
A decade ago, I would have loved
someone in the space industry to connect with me and tell me exactly
what he/she does on a daily basis, what background is needed for the
job, what exciting things I could get involved in, what some of the
drawbacks were, what was important to focus on, and what wasn’t. I
would have been saved from many anxious self-debates to know from
people who have been there that it’s okay to question, to change my
mind, and to go against the consensus, to follow my heart, to be true
to myself and my passions regardless of what others think. I had to
learn all this the hard way, as we all do.
I struggled with a lot of life’s
transitions as a young adult: it’s okay to choose a major
immediately in college even if you’re unsure, it’s okay to move
away from a loved one for graduate school to put your education
first, it’s okay to take a less common route, it’s okay to
diverge from an advisor’s path for you, it’s okay to stand up for
yourself and your values, it’s okay to drop out of a Ph.D. program
when majority advice and the lure of being called doctor is strong,
it’s okay to take risks, to not conform, to be girly in a
male-dominated field, to stand tall when others swing at you, to put
people and relationships first, to open one’s heart and share
yourself with the world. It’s all okay.
If I can be one more voice of
reassurance in a sea of “thou shalt do this or else” and one more
example that the less followed path is sometimes the right one, I may
be able to touch someone who is also struggling in youth and young
adulthood. If I can connect someone with an opportunity, a resource,
another professional who may be able to assist them, that is
invaluable. I am happy to be an intermediary for those with a will
who are seeking a way.
This blog, publicly accessible for
anyone to find, is to give my readership and especially students an
idea of what it’s like to work in the space industry. My life is
not the life of anyone else’s and is not typical or representative,
but it is one example out of countless possibilities. The
opportunities that I’ve been given and so many others are available
to those who are interested and take action.
Someone once asked me: “What are your
dreams? And what are you doing to make your dreams become a reality?”
If you know of any students who are
interested in working in the space industry who you think may benefit
from this blog, please send them the link or connect them with my
Twitter or LinkedIn accounts. If you are a student, please don’t be
afraid to reach out, to me and to others. You are the future of the
industry. We need you. Get out there and make a difference!
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