COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri soccer senior midfielder Leah Selm recently returned from a visit to NASA’s Launch Services Program Student Volunteer Experience. She reflects on her experience and how the program will prepare her for a future career in mechanical engineering.
How did this opportunity come about with NASA?
This opportunity came from the Momentum Institute. NASA was putting together a program for student athletes with unconventional schedules, and put together this week-long program for athletes who have to go back to school early to train. Through the Momentum Institute, I was given the opportunity to interview for this position and then ultimately go to it.
???? From the SEC to NASA! ????
LSP’s Student Volunteer Experience is a one-week educational program for college students with unconventional schedules. Seven exceptional student athletes were selected to join us at Kennedy Space Center to explore careers within the Agency! pic.twitter.com/vxSwJKnchu
— NASA’s Launch Services Program (@NASA_LSP) July 3, 2024
Why are you pursuing a career or major in mechanical engineering?
I love solving problems and I’m really interested in design and innovation, so I think through mechanical engineering, I can tap into those aspects and find a career that I’d be happy in in the future.
What did this opportunity teach you about your desired career?
Through this opportunity, I was able to shadow different engineers at NASA and see a lot of the different projects they work on and sit in on meetings. Through this opportunity, I learned it’s a career I could see myself going into and I found how interested I was in space, and it’s an industry I want to be a part of in the future.
What was the most surprising part for you or something you were impressed by?
I would say the most impressive thing was watching a rocket launch. It was the first time I’ve seen one in person, and it was honestly spectacular. I think watching it in real life puts into perspective how many different people have to work on it, and how crazy it is people can actually make it happen. We also got to tour a couple of different facilities and see a space shuttle and rocket in real life. Seeing them up close shows how large they are and it was really cool to see that.
How will this opportunity benefit you…
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