|
Only have a minute? Listen instead |
SpaceX awarded $10,000 scholarships to 10 Brownsville Independent School District students on Thursday, saying they will help the company realize its vision of human life among the stars.
“SpaceX’s mission is to make life multi-planetary. We believe life is far more exciting when mankind is among the stars and we’re excited that these students will help carry that vision forward as the next generation of explorers,” Marisela Cortez, SpaceX manager of external affairs, said as she introduced the recipients in the BISD board room.
Each recipient also received a special behind-the-scenes tour of the company’s Starbase facility at Boca Chica Beach.
Cortez said the students were asked to answer the question: “If selected as a crew member on a starship mission to the moon, who would you bring with you and why?”
The answers revealed remarkable thoughtfulness, creativity and heart, she said.
Here are the winners:
>> From Rivera Early College High School: Eddy Cantu, Logan Hinojosa, Ashley Pena, Alyssa Carrera and Miguel Ramirez;
>> From Lopez, Juliana Barr; from Pace, Vanessa Michele Mata; from Veterans, Zeviel Abraham Pineda; from Porter, Clemente Arvizu; and from Hanna, Carla Gisel Garza.
Garza said she got word she had won the scholarship on the day of her graduation.
“My Brownsville ISD counselor contacted me and told me I had won. … It was like two hours before graduation, and then this year they decided to include the scholarship amount at graduation. It’s an honor. I’m very appreciative,” she said.
Garza will attend Emory University in Atlanta.
“I’m going to be there for four years. This will help me pay off at least the dorms. The dorms are very expensive there. So are the meal plans. It’s going to help for sure in terms of out-of-state fees. … We were notified kind of late. I’m a huge procrastinator, so I didn’t write it until the day it was due in mid-May. We had word of it at the beginning of May,” she said.
Zeviel Abraham Pineda, from Veterans, said it was an enjoyable topic to write about.
“It was a fun essay prompt about who I would take with me on a mission to the moon. I very much enjoyed writing about that very unique topic. I was super excited when I found out. It made my month, finding out that I won a scholarship. Next year I’m going to MIT, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, so this scholarship is helping me pay for MIT. Super excited about that, you know. It takes a little bit of the weight off my back,” Pineda said.
He added that he recognized some of the other recipients from science fairs and other activities. I’m very excited for the upcoming SpaceX tour,” he said.