Reaching for the Stars: Michelle Lucas' Journey from Space Enthusiast to STEM Advocate

April STEM Month is a celebration dedicated to promoting and raising awareness about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. GlobalMindED is proud to highlight the voices and work of influential STEM leaders.

Michelle Lucas has been inspired by space her entire life. After years of hard work in school, Michelle graduated from university and went to work at Johnson Space Center (JSC) to follow her dream.?She now runs programs all over the country (and the world) encouraging students to find and pursue their passion. Michelle is honored to be an AIAA Associate Fellow .

What is your personal/professional story?

I fell in love with space as a young girl in an area where no one was talking about space. From the time I was very young, I just KNEW I had to work in the space industry but I wasn’t entirely sure how to do that. Fortunately, my Mom was determined to help me figure it out so she helped me find every book we could on spaceflight and she took me on more visits than I can count to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I attended Space Camp in Huntsville Alabama thanks to a scholarship, which helped keep me on my path to space. We didn’t have STEM classes so I just took every math and science class I could though in my community at that time they were limited. There certainly was no project-based learning.?

Through passion, I worked my way to become the first in my family to attend college. While at University I created a team that would go on to become the first Purdue undergraduate team to do microgravity research on the KC-135 “affectionately” known as the Vomit Comet. I was exposed to real research and a great mentor in Professor Steven Collicott. Upon graduation from college, I went to work at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration ’s Johnson Space Center as part of the Payload Safety Review Panel for the International Space Station. From there I went on to work in Mission Control for the International Space Station National Laboratory and as a Technical Instructor for Astronauts. Working in the space industry was truly a dream come true for me, especially in human spaceflight! I had the privilege of training many ISS crews and Space Shuttle crews in addition to traveling to our International Partners to train their instructors and flight controllers. After more than a decade at Johnson Space Center, I decided to leave to start my own consulting company and I also found I had a desire to give back so I started Higher Orbits.?

Higher Orbits is a 501c3 non-profit that uses spaceflight to engage students in STEM while building teamwork, leadership, and communication skills. We run a program called?Go For Launch! ?where students work with an Astronaut for the entire event and compete to have their ideas launched into space.

In my copious (ha!) free time I still run my consulting company, Space Inspired Solutions, and I have a business partner for an Astronaut Talent Management Agency company called uniphi space agency. While my path has changed over the years one thing has remained consistent – my passion for space!

What key moments in your life led you to where you are today?

I am a big believer that everything that happens on our journey leads us to where we are. I am so fortunate to have had a mother who supported my dreams of literally reaching for the stars. Getting to attend Space Camp on scholarship helped keep me on my path because it helped me be comfortable with who I am – a space geek! My first hands-on, project-based learning came from the undergraduate microgravity experience with Purdue University. It was a game-changer! And the professor who was our advisor for that became one of my mentors and I still consider him a mentor today! While at JSC I had a Flight Director who believed in my skills and encouraged me to apply for a job I wasn’t sure I was capable of. Having others believe in you when you aren’t so sure about yourself is a powerful thing!

Where does your passion to serve come from?

Again, the Space Camp scholarship changed my life. Someone who had never met me was willing to "invest" in this little girl who was geeked out about space. As I progressed in my career I wanted to give back. When I started Higher Orbits I thought it would just be a side project but it has grown into so much more because I want to serve and one way to do that is to help inspire the next generation of STEMists and explorers, our future workforce. I believe if we all did a little more for others the world would be a better place and I am happy to do a little to support stellar students across the country.?

How can GlobalMindED help you reach your goals?

We both wish to support students as they reach for the stars – I love to collaborate with those who help others reach for their dreams. I think there are many synergies between our organizations to inspire and support students and have much more impact as a result.

To learn more about space, register for the Space Symposium hosted by the Space Foundation.

HIGHER ORBITS FOUNDATION ; Go For Launch ; Sea Space Symposium ; Space Foundation ; AIAA ; uniphi space agency ; 0-G Launch ; Space Interactions Inc. ; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ; 美国普渡大学