Glimmering Hope (11/16-11/22)

Being surrounded by other extremely talented individuals is undeniably one of my favorite parts about the Independent Study and Mentorship program. After watching other students’ recorded research speeches, I firsthand witnessed the differing interpersonal talents between myself and them. I still have a long way to go in developing my own speaking style and working on my enunciation, so that not only will I succeed at job interviews and in the workplace, but I will also become a well-rounded individual, incarnate of my dreams. We are now in full swing in the process of finding our mentors. Prior to entering the Independent Mentorship and Study program, I already knew that professionals in the field of aerospace engineering, specifically those that specialized in my field of passion - spacecraft design - were especially difficult to contact. As I discovered through my research thus far, my preconceived notion was correct. While my search for potential mentors initially had no direction, in which I interviewed aerospace engineers employed in various subdisciplines, I expanded my perspective on aerospace engineering holistically. I found that while spacecraft design was relatively niche in the grand scheme of aerospace engineering’s innumerable subdisciplines, there was so much more than my passion waiting for me to experience. Through my many research interviews so far I have discovered my interest in unmanned flight and electric propulsion, which have opened my eyes to career opportunities I never would have considered before. Despite my discovery of new interests I wish to explore in the field of aerospace, I have not forgotten my longstanding ambition to set a precedent in aerospace engineering history. I have changed my method of attacking the issue of finding a spacecraft design specialist with the deadline for acquiring a mentorship bearing down on me, and am proud to announce that my efforts have bore fruit. I am now making headway in regards to meeting with some of the greatest spacecraft design specialists alive, and am aiming to acquire a mentor as close to my passion as possible. While I have been pressing forward solely with my goal of closing the distance between mankind and the stars, I hope to find a veteran who will provide me with advice on my journey to seize that small, shining possibility to change the world.