Second year Elgin Community College student, Aerospace Engineering major, Angela Andrada sent shock waves throughout the school when she was identified as one of the three hundred and four community college student representatives chosen for the NASA Aerospace Scholars program, this past September.

The NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program gives community college students an opportunity to involve themselves in a four-day workshop at the NASA center in Virginia. Within this four-day workshop, students immerse themselves in NASA’s unique facilities, culture, and get to know their diverse workforce. Alongside the four day workshop, students are also able to attend briefings presented by NASA engineers and scientists.

“One of the most valuable moments during my experience at NASA was hearing from their employees who all attended community colleges. It was informational learning about what courses to take and degrees to get for a career at NASA,” said Andrada.

Andrada continues to explain the diverse workplace that NASA provides.

Witnessing people of different backgrounds, and from around the world, working together to explore where no human has gone before inspired Andrada.

“It was a melting pot of cultures,” said Andrada, “This experience has further motivated me to persevere through financial adversity and academic struggles, both valuable lessons that I hope to share with others through the College Project.”

Alongside being an Aerospace Scholar, Andrada serves as the current Vice President of the Rho Kappa Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at Elgin Community College. Andrada often vocalizes her interest to reintroduce STEM options for women and minorities.

“I aim to challenge gender stereotypes and disparities in STEM,” said Andrada.

Andrada states that current ECC student and former NASA Aerospace Scholar, Jennifer Esparza, has a role model to why she applied for the program.

“Jennifer was a role model to me. I looked at her as a peer adviser. She motivated me to apply to and work hard in this program. She is a great example of the type of student mentor-ship at ECC,” said Andrada.

Andrada currently is organizing the Phi Theta Kappa, “College Project.” Andrada’s College Project works to focus on the issues of gender stereotypes and disparities by hosting events that expose undecided ECC students to a wide variety of STEM subjects.

“I hope that my personal experiences will teach girls to not let gender and racial stereotypes undermind their self-confidence,” said Andrada.

Andrada and her Phi Theta Kappa team look forward to branching out to local school districts. Their goal? To inspire younger generations of science-lovers to reach heights that Andrada claims “only now seem farther away than stars.”