by: Kerry Lippold Jr.
Students are met with the difficult task of handling the challenges of a college education while struggling to achieve a level of professional experience at the same time. For many, this type of priceless experience is sacrificed for other priorities. One of Parkland’s own was met with the opportunity of a lifetime to work at a NASA center with all expenses paid for a valuable internship experience. Sean McCloskey, President of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and member of the programming board for Parkland Student Life, was chosen to take part in an internship at NASA through their NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS). There is still an opportunity for many other students at Parkland to take advantage of the same experience.
The NCAS program is looking for nearly 700 qualified applicants by Oct. 16 to take part in their paid internship program which leaves plenty of room a select group of students. All applicants must be a U.S. citizen, high school graduate or equivalent, at least eighteen years of age, registered at a U.S. community college during the semester of the onsite workshop, concurrent enrollment or completion of nine or more hours of STEM coursework, able to commit to a five week online session and have access to the internet. While this list may seem long and specific, it creates an opportunity for students that are passionate about their professional career and truly intrigued by NASA to have access to everything NCAS has to offer.
The purpose of NCAS is to encourage community college students to finish their two-year degree program to transfer to a four-year institution while presenting those participating with, “…an authentic NASA experience…,” according to the NCAS website.
McCloskey witnessed this personally and had a very positive review of his time with the program. The experience started by being selected to complete a 5-week online course covering the past, present and future of NASA. Following the online course, he was then invited to their onsite visit in which he spent four days at NASA. “I personally went to the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland Ohio, but you could go to any NASA center. While there, I was a part of a 9-person team competing against 3 other teams for a fictional contract with NASA … We had to build, program and test our rover design to perform different tasks,” McCloskey stated. He also got a tour of the facility, spoke with employees and experienced what it would be like to work at NASA.
“During the internship, professional members of NCAS review your resume and help you learn how to succeed in the future”
“It also opens the door for more internships including some that are only for people who completed this internship,” McCloskey told the Prospectus. McCloskey also said that, during the internship, professional members of NCAS review your resume and help you learn how to succeed in the future. The team building, leadership and experience with NASA could take your resume and professional status to the next level.
Employers are constantly looking for students with professional experience, and this opportunity could provide that professional background. The timeline to attend an information session and to apply is approaching soon. In just a short time, you could be in the next group of community college students to learn from NASA experts and visit one of their centers during the spring or summer of 2020.
Sean McCloskey hopes that with the sharing of his experience, he will encourage and inspire other students to take advantage of the unique experience that he once had. So, join him in pursuing your future.
There are several steps to the application process so please visit https://go.nasa.gov/ncas for more information.
