Local students learn to overcome odds to achieve their goals at a NASA space flight center
Courtesy of NASA/GSFC/Larry Gilbert
Former astronaut Scott Altman addressed the school districts that attended the April 12 event for Beating the Odds Organization that included a tour of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
NASA/GSFC/Larry Gilbert
Halena Matlock (left) and Mallory Wisilosky (right), students at Laurel Highlands Middle School, took part in a Beating the Odds Foundation event that included a tour of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.
As a sixth grade student at Laurel Highlands Middle School, Halena Matlock hadn’t thought much about what her future career would be.
Following a program she recently attended with some of her peers, she’s now considering going into the engineering field.
Last week, LHMS English teacher Luke Rice and Albert Gallatin gifted support teacher Allison Haragos took a team of 17 students from LHMS, and 28 students from Albert Gallatin North Middle and Albert Gallatin South Middle schools, to NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The trip was part of the Quarterbacks of Life (QBoL) program, presented by the Beating the Odds Foundation. The foundation was started in 1990 by Rocco Scalzi, a former Altoona Pennsylvania police officer refocused his life after a tragic incident during his rookie year. After overcoming many obstacles, Scalzi decided to take his message of hope to kids all across the country.
The students made up teams and gave a presentation concerning beating the odds, blueprints for success, setting goals, and what obstacles could halt them in their tracks to reach those goals.
They also gained inspiration from speakers like Dr. Michelle L. Thaller, the assistant director for science communication at the space flight center.
“She talked about her life, how she became successful and the different success stoppers and how she overcame them to meet her goals and objectives,” Haragos said.
The students also heard from one of the foundation’s QBoLs, Scott D. Altman, a former astronaut, who spoke about the roadblocks he faced on his way to space.
“Scott’s speech was excellent,” Rice said, adding that Altman spoke about conducting repair work on the Hubble Telescope, as well as the fact that he was one inch too tall to fly for the U.S. Air Force.
Altman instead enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he was able to finally fly the skies of Earth and then beyond.
For Matlock, the experience was exciting, as she not only got to see an astronaut speak, but was able to be part of a presentation he saw.
“I spoke about … dreams and goals and self awareness,” Matlock said. “It was definitely exciting and nerve racking at the same time.”
Maddie Behlke, an eighth grade student at LHMS, said she has participated in the event for three years.
Behlke said she used to want to be an engineer, but is now interested in becoming a lawyer. Even though her future career plans have changed, she still found benefits of the event, mostly researching information on Altman as well as becoming more comfortable with public speaking.
“Altman was pretty cool,” Behlke said, adding that he spoke to her after her team’s presentation and said she did a good job. “If I didn’t go, I wouldn’t have that opportunity ever.”
Kelsey Ream, in eighth grade at AGNMS, said it was her second year at the space flight center.
“I really liked it,” she said, adding that she has an interest in space and the planets as well as space exploration. “I got to see a lot of different ways that the people at NASA contribute together.”
One of the ways was the work on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is set to launch in a few years to unravel the secrets of dark energy and dark matter, takes images of exoplanets, and explore many topics in infrared astrophysics.
“It felt like we were really working at NASA,” Ream said.
For sixth grader Luke Lilley from AGNMS, the experience helped feed his interest to get into engineering and space travel.
“I liked seeing how they’re building the Nancy Grace Roman telescope, the process of how the pieces are put together for it; they were working on it while we were there,” he said, adding it was his first time taking part in the program. “I’d love to do this again.”
Eighth grader Paityn Stout from AGNMS said her two trips to the space flight center increased her interest in space and the planets, even though she doesn’t want to make it a career.
“I think it’s really cool to really see people go to space; it’s very interesting,” Stout said. “But also there are people behind the scenes to do work to get them in space.”
Haragos said this year was the AG’s second time participating in the event. Rice said LH has participated for the past six years.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for the students,” Haragos said. “It helps students become inspired and motivated and creates their own purpose, setting and following the dreams and goals in their lives.”
Rice said students also learn that there are many different paths available to them — even if it’s not one they initially envisioned.
“It helps them to see different possibilities,” Rice said.