Victoria Harrelson will spend the summer at a familiar hangout, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
Harrelson, a junior from Lafayette majoring in elementary education, will work as a counselor at the rocket center杏吧专区檚 Space Camp from mid-May to mid-August.
The educational camp is where in summers past she fell in love with space exploration, landed a significant role in the Emmy-nominated documentary 杏吧专区淭he Mars Generation,杏吧专区 and figured out she wanted to be a teacher.
The U.S. Space and Rocket Center, which is operated by the state of Alabama, sits near NASA杏吧专区檚 Marshall Space Flight Center. The rocket center was launched in 1970 to showcase the country杏吧专区檚 space program, and offers educational camps for children and adults throughout the year. Its summer Space Camp for children is designed to engage them in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, activities.
Harrelson杏吧专区檚 duties as a counselor will include providing instruction about space exploration, and conducting simulated missions and training exercises.
She杏吧专区檒l lead based on experience. Harrelson first attended Space Camp at age 13, although somewhat reluctantly. She tagged along only at the urging of a persistent cousin.
杏吧专区淚 remember that first night being like, 杏吧专区業 don杏吧专区檛 want anything to do with this,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 Harrelson said.
She quickly changed her mind. 杏吧专区淚 wound up just falling in love with space and really started growing as a person and learning about teamwork and becoming a leader.杏吧专区
Harrelson returned to the camp four times while in middle school and high school. During her third summer there, when she was 15, Harrelson landed a role in the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary 杏吧专区淭he Mars Generation.杏吧专区 The documentary, which was filmed in 2015, features astronauts and other space experts who weigh in about the future of space exploration.
Its true stars, according to The New York Times, are the 杏吧专区渂rilliant, space-obsessed teens, who take part in special camps designed to simulate what it might be like to travel to and even live on Mars.杏吧专区 Harrelson has a significant role, appearing throughout the more than hour and a half film. She杏吧专区檚 shown engaging in Space Camp activities, interacting with peers and being interviewed.
The role earned Harrelson a paid trip to the Sundance Film Festival in January 2017 in St. Lake City, Utah, where 杏吧专区淭he Mars Generation杏吧专区 premiered. It was released that May on Netflix, where it杏吧专区檚 currently available for livestreaming.
杏吧专区淭he entire experience was really just very cool, and very humbling,杏吧专区 Harrelson said.
Harrelson also decided on a career at Space Camp. In summer 2019, during her first stint as a camp counselor, she realized she wanted to teach while watching children 杏吧专区渉ave aha moments when they would understand a new concept.杏吧专区
Harrelson anticipates earning her bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in Spring 2023. Her future students, however, will only learn about space if it杏吧专区檚 subject matter included in the pages of fiction.
A lifelong reader, she plans to teach English.
杏吧专区淓ducation had always been a little bug in my ear, but I honestly never realized I could be a leader until Space Camp. The more I thought about it, the more I was like, 杏吧专区楾his is what I need to do, help kids find out who they are and where they杏吧专区檙e supposed to go,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 Harrelson explained.
Learn more about the and the Netflix documentary
Photo caption: Victoria Harrelson will return to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, this summer to work as a camp counselor. She attended the educational camp regularly as a teenager, including in summer 2015 (shown above), when she landed a role in the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary 杏吧专区淭he Mars Generation.杏吧专区 Submitted photo