My life being INSPIRE

By Kevin Torres, INSPIRE Grad

As long as I can remember my curiosity has driven me. Five years ago while searching for an opportunity beyond the standards of education I came across the INSPIRE program. Without understanding the true potential, I registered and soon became inspired in space. The Interdisciplinary National Science Project Incorporating Research and Education Experience (INSPIRE) brought a significant change in perspective to my way of life with the Online Learning Community (OLC) and the Summer STEM Experience (SEE) all together in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). In addition it motivated me to go beyond the ordinary.

INSPIRE had just started out, its purpose was to motivate students to study a STEM related field. It was all coming together for me now, the year before I started experimenting with rockets and now this program offered me an insight look to all things related with NASA. On the Online Learning Community (OLC) students from all over the nation could share their experiences and ideas. In the OLC we also competed during the year for a chance to an internship. So what we had learned in the OLC through the year we put it to work on the summers.

The SSE was the crown jewel of the program. Students were competing for an opportunity to attend a NASA center in the summer. In 2009 I was chosen to participate in the SSE-Explorer Experience, all expenses paid. The experience consisted in going to the Kennedy Space Center for a VIP tour. I had just finished my ninth grade. The experience was out of this world especially for the young boy that I was. Seen firsthand what everyone sees usually in the movies, I had been exposed to a universe of undefined possibilities. At that moment I could see myself in the future working for NASA.

INSPIRE, OLC and the SSE had taken a significant value in my life. It gave me the opportunity to have hands on experiences about what I would like to study, engineering. It exposed me to a professional environment unmatched by anyone. For me being an engineer is not just about looking for solutions to society’s problems, but also leaving something for the future. By doing so it is not just a more efficient way of life, but in overall it improves our quality of life.

In essence to all high school students and INSPIRE students, no matter how much you read, you learn and you study nothing is as important as the imagination that sparks that motivation. That’s what keeps you reading, that’s what keeps you learning and most importantly that’s what keeps you studying beyond the requirements. Remember INSPIRE students what keeps the wheel turning is the momentum you build.

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