Space exploration has allowed our knowledge on the universe and our planet earth to expand since the late fifties and early sixties. The history of said exploration is displayed and preserved at locations such as the Kennedy Space Center and the Johnson Space Center. I was lucky enough to have been a visitor to the Kennedy Space Center at a very young age too. Upon entrance, I felt this overwhelming emotion of both excitement and astonishment. I remember walking through the infamous "Rocket Garden" and feeling so small compared to the Saturn 1B laying horizontally across. I remember thinking "it couldn't possibly get any better than this." but I was wrong. I discovered the Space Shuttle exhibit and I was amazed at this huge shuttle that was unveiled called Atlantis. It was truly remarkable how they were able to magnify each square panel that was meticulously placed to construct the vehicle. As I continued my visit it only got better from there. While on the "Behind the Gates" bus tour, I was brought to the Apollo missions exhibit and that was where I was met with my favorite rocket, the Saturn V. The entire rocket took up a good portion of the exhibit but its first and most notable feature was the five booster engines attached to the lower portion of it. They were intimidatingly gigantic but at that given moment I was inspired. After this memorable experience, I gained an appreciation for the amount of work and effort it takes to construct spacecraft to help expand humankind's knowledge of space. Many engineers and mathematicians had to think outside the box and use critical thinking to develop designs and run test launches on these new ideas. It takes teamwork and dedication to further space exploration and I want to contribute the same way by pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering, specifically with a focus on Astronautics. My goal is to one day work as an engineer for NASA especially, for the upcoming Artemis Space missions where we will be traveling back to the moon and then, hopefully, to Mars. Not only will I be able to exercise and put my critical thinking skills to use but, I will have the ability to be a role model for other future women looking to get involved in the world of STEM. I will soon be another reminder that engineering is not just for men, it can be for anyone with a desire to innovate and problem solve. Our overall understanding of the universe is fairly limited and only reaches a certain extent. This is why furthering space exploration is more crucial than ever and the best aerospace engineers are needed to do so. I want to assist in bringing humankind to Mars in the future and being an aerospace engineer amongst others will help achieve that.

This discovery is not very well-known but my favorite scientific discovery was the identification of Fraunhofer lines. I learned about these dark lines while I was preparing research for my science fair project. It was on the visible light spectrum and how different mediums for light to refract can affect the quality of the appearance of a rainbow. It is commonly known that Sir Isaac Newton discovered the visible light spectrum, but what most people are unaware of is that Joseph Fraunhofer, discovered these dark lines that are present within the spectrum when observing elements. These dark lines are referred to as "Fraunhofer lines", and if they were never discovered, the elements present in certain planets or stars would be unknown. Fraunhofer lines are lines of absorbed light and radiation and this allows for elements to be determined based on what color of light is absorbed. The absorbed colors are why the dark lines can be seen and based on how many there are and which colors cannot be identified, helps depict the chemical composition of objects in space. Each element has a unique display of lines, which is why we now know that parts of our solar system like the Sun, for instance, are made up of elements like Helium and Hydrogen. Since Fraunhofer explored a little further than Newton did on the visible light spectrum, it is possible to further analyze our universe and understand its origin. I have a sense of appreciation for this and I think Fraunhofer's lack of recognition for this discovery should be improved. The discovery has evolved our understanding of the universe and that's why it's my favorite.

My name is Lucille Jefferys and I am currently a high school senior at Inlet Grove Community High School in Riviera Beach, Florida. I plan on majoring in aerospace engineering while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the 2022 fall semester. I've always wanted to explore the field of aerospace engineering since my freshman year in high school and it's been my dream to eventually work for NASA in their new Artemis space missions. From a young age, I've always looked up to Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut to travel to space. Even though, many of her accomplishments did not occur during my lifetime, learning about Ride has allowed me to relate to her as a woman in STEM. She was never afraid to set challenging goals for herself and the courage she held was inspirational. I would say that she is the embodiment of fearlessness and she has influenced me to carry on a legacy similar to that. I aspire to become an advocate for women in STEM, more specifically in the engineering field and Sally Ride is proof that this can be possible as she was an advocate for women in STEM herself. She opened a door to more opportunities for women to become involved in STEM. She achieved this by being a role model and by creating an organization of her own to encourage future generations regardless of their background, to explore STEM. Pursuing a career in aerospace engineering as a female can be intimidating considering that not only is the field challenging but it's also male-dominated. It's difficult for young women to be open to aerospace engineering because there are few individuals in this field that are similar to them. I am determined to contribute to creating a more diverse aerospace industry for the sake of the future and following Sally Ride's example to do so. I want to break boundaries and become an innovative engineer and prove that women can be engineers; that there needs to be more women as engineers. I am prepared to make a difference by pushing myself to move forward in reaching my career goals. My fearlessness could one day inspire another young woman to persevere and make her own dreams a reality. Representation is key, and women cannot feel like they belong in any STEM-related industry without this aspect. Diversity in STEM is crucial if we want it to evolve. At first, I simply wanted to be an aerospace engineer. I initially planned to simply reach my goals of earning my Master's degree in aerospace engineering and then move on to work for NASA. However, I have realized that I need to do more than just that, if I want to leave a meaningful impact in this field, I need to be an advocate for young women as Sally Ride was. Teaching the next generation of female aerospace engineers to "reach for the stars" is my long-term mission. "The stars don't look bigger, but they do look brighter.", Sally Ride.

My name is Lucille Jefferys, I am currently a Senior at Inlet Grove Community High School in Riviera Beach, Florida. I recently decided to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida with a major in aerospace engineering, with the hopes of graduating with a master's degree. My overall career goal is to work as an aerospace engineer for NASA and to be a part of the future Artemis missions to the moon and possibly Mars. This will let me be an example to other young women to be determined and to explore the world of engineering. I was never exposed to engineering as a kid and I didn't truly know what it was until I got to high school. However, ever since I was about 12 years old I knew that I liked to solve problems, design, build, and most importantly, learn about space exploration. I discovered this my first time visiting the Kennedy Space Center and it was enlightening for me. I never realized how fascinated I was with the function of rockets, jet engines, and space probes. I think the sheer beauty of the Saturn V rocket and the Atlantis space shuttle is what inspired me to have this desire to pursue a career in the aerospace industry. They were both gigantic and learning about how they were designed and built was fascinating to me. From there, I began to construct my tiny model rockets. I explored different ways to design a launchpad, use electric circuits, the proper amount of wadding, and the right placement of the fins to project these rockets. I was genuinely enjoying launching these tiny rockets and to think that one day I could help launch an actual life-sized rocket like the Saturn V, excites me. Also, Sally Ride was one of my favorite role models because of how inspirational she was to the youth and how encouraging she was when it came to introducing them to the many fields of STEM. She was intelligent, determined, and never considered anything to be impossible. She took risks and wanted to achieve her goals by learning new things as well as going outside her comfort zone. I wish to carry on a legacy like that too. Aerospace engineering is intimidating, but that's not going to stop me from living my dreams. I have worked hard during my time in high school and turned my weaknesses, such as math, into my strengths. Even though I am one of the few young women that are in my current engineering class, I still have contributed to some of the most successful class projects and earned myself the role of being valedictorian for my class. I don't let the fact that my desired career is male-dominated affect me and instead, allow it to encourage me to be an example of why women should be more involved in aerospace engineering. Young women in future generations to come will be able to see themselves through the women in this field, which will inspire them and therefore, only further diversify the aerospace industry. This may even inspire young women to explore other STEM-related fields like computer sciences, physics, nanotech, and more. I am applying for this scholarship to support myself financially throughout my college journey as an engineering major. I am a high school senior soon to be college freshman, with huge aspirations and many goals. I plan on working with NASA in the near future to contribute to this new upcoming era of space travel and exploration. I always say anything is possible.

The future holds endless possibilities for a more advanced and better tomorrow. Ever since I visited the Kennedy Space Center, I felt at home as if I was where I was supposed to be. I felt that sense of possibility there; the idea of exploring unknown territory deep into the cosmos excited me. Still, to this day, I want to contribute to space exploration and I strive to do this through engineering. The world of aerospace engineering can be very intimidating but seems extremely rewarding. To think that rather than designing and building a tiny model rocket to launch in my backyard, I could design a life-size one and launch it off of a real launch pad, is incredible. I will admit I am not the best mathematically, but despite this setback, I am determined to become one of the most innovative engineers I can be for the aerospace industry. I plan on attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the fall and will be majoring in aerospace engineering. I have prepared myself for the obstacles that may come my way. Being female in a fairly male dominated field comes with its challenges. Even as a high school student being in advanced math classes, I have been targeted for being the only student with "poor math skills", even though half the male students there were no better. Despite this, I didn't allow myself to be discouraged. I was going to stay determined and achieve the unthinkable. Aerospace engineering requires a lot of dedication, critical thinking, and innovation. That is what I strive to be the best at. The ideal future for me involves partaking in the Artemis missions to the moon and possibly Mars with NASA. Anything is possible with the right mindset and hard work.

The Universe. It is where we are, and its great vastness continues to leave us questioning, "What else could be out there?". I often question the origin of this infinite cosmos and why it is structured the way it is. So did many scientists from the past. This idea from the 1940s about launching an approximately 44 foot space telescope in order to explore the mysteries of the Universe, became a reality. The Hubble Space Telescope, named after influential astronomer Edwin Hubble, was launched by the Discovery Space Shuttle in 1990. From there, scientists have had the capability of examining the depths of the Universe for over 30 years, and continue to advance humankind's knowledge of the dark infinite entity. Furthermore, the space telescope was even created based on the concept of having astronauts enhance its performance over time using whatever new technologies were to come. The impact this telescope has had can be seen from our textbooks in school, to our basic knowledge of space. The first images of Jupiter, the detection of rare elements, the discovery of black holes, the Hubble telescope made these things possible. We can now determine a more accurate age of the Universe thanks to it's clear images, which allowed for a more exact measurement of distance from certain neighboring galaxies. Hubble has given humankind the opportunity to gain evidence in support of theories about the Universe which can now be proven true, such as the concept of an expanding Universe. Witnessing the way Hubble has influenced the advancement of technology and space exploration has led to my desire to invent such technology that can make similar contributions to making the world a better place. The space telescope betters the world through the power of knowledge, inspiration, and discovery. It is proof that the seemingly impossible can be achieved. A lesson that can be learned from society. The majority of the Universe still remains undiscovered, and it is crucial to continue to develop equipment and spacecraft like Hubble in order to improve our understanding of it. As the Universe expands, so should our knowledge. The world can become this "better place" the more information we obtain about the cosmos in which we all share and live in. Technology is the gateway to new possibilities and discoveries. Hubble is the prime example of this.