Scholars eat lunch with former astronaut

Seniors Ryan Feldbush, Janet Lu and Viorel Silage ate lunch with a former astronaut Bob Springer on Wednesday as part of NASA’s annual Brevard Top Scholars Event at Kennedy Space Center.

 Springer was a test pilot who flew as a Mission Specialist on two NASA Space Shuttle missions in 1989 and 1990

Three seniors from each high school in the county were picked to attend the event based on their admiration for science and engineering to spend the day at NASA, courtesy of the organization’s Youth Engagement Division.

“In the morning, we went on a bus tour, visiting a few of the facilities,” Feldbush said. “During our break, we got to speak to a former astronaut and eat lunch with him.”

The experience revolved around the advice given by accomplished workers in the field. Students received information about internships and scholarships, as well as the ability to have one-on-one conversations about their future, according to NASA.

“Towards the end, they had an event with five current employees talking to us,” Feldbush said. “They answered any questions we had about working at NASA or the STEM field in general.”

All scholars received a certificate of participation, acknowledging their attendance of the event, but more importantly they walked out with a better understanding of their future.

“It was a really rewarding experience,” Lu said. “I thought [the event] was very interesting and intriguing.”

By Julien Wakim