How I discovered public relations
My fourth grade teacher knew what I wanted to be when I grew up before I did. Although, in a sense, he's also the reason it took me five years to figure it out. Mr. Pearce ran a program at my elementary school called "Young Astronauts", aimed at getting kids excited about STEM. Young Astronauts gave me a chance to explore my strengths, and a taste at doing what I love, but it wasn't until 11th grade that I realized what it meant.
The grand finale of Young Astronauts was an overnight simulated space mission for the 5th Graders. We trained all year, focusing on physical fitness, team building, problem solving, and the history of the manned space program. As the time of the Mission drew near, we interviewed for our positions, as either astronauts who would spend 24 hours in the "shuttle" (computer lab) or as controllers down in "Mission Control" (the gym). My goal was to be one of the mission specialists on the shuttle. However, Mr. Pearce assigned me the role of Public Affairs Officer. My job was to speak on behalf of the controllers and crew to the school and press about the mission objectives and all of the hard work we had put into preparing. The morning of the launch, I proudly stood at a podium in front of a sea of wide-eyed spectators. All eyes were glued on me. Caught up in the moment, the younger students all believed it was real - that seventeen fifth graders in bright orange jumpsuits were going to space - and we were their heroes. Their oohs and ahhs echoed around the room and they hung onto every word. By the time we started the countdown, the excitement in the room was so contagious, even the adults couldn't help but believe, even if just for a moment. When we finally launched, the room erupted in celebration.
The Mission was the most fun I have ever had. By the end, I determined that I was going to work for NASA one day. From then on, my goal was to become an aerospace engineer. I enrolled in a high school that allowed me to simultaneously work towards an associates degree in software engineering and joined my school's AFJROTC. However, I never felt the same excitement and passion in all of my STEM classes as I had felt about the mission, and that revelation derailed me from the track I had so carefully laid out. I enjoyed being part of JROTC and quickly rose through the ranks, but it wasn't the Air Force aspect that drew me in, it was getting to connect with others and work as part of a team. I started to question my goals, and even myself.
I eventually realized my passions and strengths were writing, storytelling, performing, and connecting with new people, and searched for ways to incorporate them into my future career. Then, during an IBM internship, I was introduced to the fields of human resources and public relations, which utilized every skill I had come to find I was good at. Then it dawned on me: this was why I was chosen as Public Affairs Officer in Young Astronauts. Mr. Pearce had recognized my calling before I had.
Recently, my JROTC corps was awarded "Distinguished Unit with Merit" by the US Air Force. As the corps commander, I was interviewed by our local newspaper. I was thrilled about the award and the recognition we received, but the best moment to come from the press coverage was a message from Mr. Pearce. He told me he was proud of me, saying, "Reading about your success has made my day, week, month, and year." Finally finding my strengths and passions is gratifying, but there is nothing as rewarding as a congratulations from the person who believed in me all along, and the knowledge that I proved him right.