My summer plans
Oh my gosh. I really need to get on my Calculus homework ASAP but I wanted to post about something.
For those of you who don't know me I am interested in studying engineering when I attend college. (Which is why I spent my Spring Break at Penn State for an engineering program and my past summer at the University of Delaware for the same type of thing.) Anyways, a couple of months ago I applied to three summer programs... all of which were free. The first one was at MIT for six-weeks. It's corporate sponsored so you only have to pay for transportation to and from MIT, but they pay for everything else (room and board). I also applied to the NASA Summer High School Apprentice Research Program, henceforth known as NASA SHARP. This program has two sections. The first is commuter, which means you have to live in a 50 mile radius and attend a school within a 50 mile radius of a NASA Research Center. I applied to the Goddard Space Flight Center. The second section of the program is known as the residential. This program allows you to stay on a college campus designated by NASA. You are allowed to apply to both sections, but can only participate in one. You also have to send in two separate applications. So, that made up my three applications. I got the results this week. I had already decided that if I didn't get accepted to anything that I would just get a job and start saving for my senior year and when I go away to college.
- I did not get accepted to the MIT program. I don't know why so don't ask. They still tried to encourage me to apply there for college. Whatever. It was a generic rejection letter so I'm not sweating it.
- I have not heard from NASA Goddard yet. I don't know what they are waiting on. Plus, they still have to do interviews to make final decisions. (It's two rounds to get accepted. The first is based on the paper application. Then they choose finalists and conduct interviews. They make their final decisions based on the interview and the paper application.)
- I made it to the second round with the NASA commuter program. My interview went pretty well. I got my letter on Saturday. I opened the letter hesitantly because I had just gotten my rejection letter from MIT a couple of days before. The first thing that I saw was Congratulations, Jada! They are sending me to the University of New Mexico!!!!! I was so excited. I had to compete with students internationally! When I had my phone interview the man told me that they had applicants from as far away as China. Now y'all need to check this: NASA is sending me to New Mexico and they are paying for my plane ticket there and back, room and board, and they are paying me to participate. I work on projects with a mentor for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's an eight-week program so I will be staying there for two months straight. I get paid by the hour (it's just $5.15 an hour... but money is money!!!). I leave on June 5th. I'm so excited! The man that gave me my interview even told my parents that if you get accepted and participate NASA will watch you through your college years and try to offer you a job working for them after you graduate.
Thank you Jesus!!!!! I'm going to New Mexico!
My aunt said, "Ain't that a trip. You've been studying French for all of these years (5 to be exact) just to be sent to New Mexico! It would be perfect if you took Spanish. You'd probably come back speaking it Spanish fluently." It was the way that she said it that had me cracking up.
Well, I gotta get to my homework so I'll post about my weekend later.