The future lies in front of all of us, full of excitement for some and fear for others but expectation for all. For many of us, the mere idea of being involved with big corporations like Apple, NASA or Tesla are unachievable dreams; things we convince ourselves are out of reach. However, opportunities to be involved are closer to home than we think. 

On Thursday, Sept. 28, NASA eclipse ambassadors Manali Patel and Larry Jahn visited the North LRC to talk about the upcoming solar eclipse on Saturday, Oct. 14 to the astronomy classes of North. A volunteer program, the ambassadors go to various schools and educate the students there on upcoming eclipses or the science behind them and spread excitement about the solar phenomenon. 

“It’s a volunteer program, you’re volunteering your time and you still have to apply,” said Patel, a recent undergraduate in astronomy and physics and NASA solar eclipse ambassador. “It’s so cool to see how many kids are very excited, very passionate about these topics, and that they’re able to ask us questions.”

This program is open to any “undergraduate or eclipse enthusiast,” according to the program’s website, and provides the amazing opportunity to educate your community about solar events and safety when viewing them. More accessible than one might think, this is a great way to get in touch with NASA without needing the eight or more years of schooling. 

“[The program is] what gives me motivation and makes me really excited to come to schools and educate people because it’s really rewarding to know that people actually enjoy listening and learning about it,” said Patel.

Bringing programs like this one closer to our students might even hold benefits for their future careers, as giving yourself the opportunity to be involved in something you’d like to do for the rest of your life can make the choice in the future less daunting. Fortunately, as time goes on, North adopts more and more programs from the cities around us like the NASA ambassadors to give students this exact chance. 

“Whether that’s an academic class, things that we offer here at North, things that we offer at the Fox Valley Career Center, whether it’s dual credit at ECC or getting the opportunity to do something through the City of St. Charles Job Shadowing Program, all of those things are opportunities that the students in our district actually have,” said Natalie Rosin, science teacher.  

Being aware of programs like this can lead to a more secure feeling in your future or what you might want to pursue while keeping you close to home and out of debt. While Patel and Jahn may not directly be a part of NASA, they do have the chance to work with the company and spread its knowledge to children around the states, creating fun activities and demonstrations to showcase what they’re passionate about through the solar eclipse ambassador program and demonstrate that you don’t need to go incredible lengths to meet your dreams.