Life-changing experience

How did your time with Space Concordia influence your career choice? 

Hannah Jack Halcro: “I know I’m very interested in space in general but I don’t know what particular aspect I’d want to actually work in, and Space Concordia gives me the opportunity to try out different roles. Right now, as president, I’m in more of a management or leadership role, but maybe next year I’ll do something technical. I think without any student clubs I wouldn’t have that kind of insight into what I like.”

What was your most remarkable Space Concordia experience? 

HJH: “When the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched in the spring, sending Elon Musk’s car into space, a group of Space Concordia members got together in our small lab, where we livestreamed the event on TV. It was just so many nerds screaming at a TV as if it was the biggest rocket launch that ever happened. It was a strong sense of community, and we were brought together by this passion for a cool thing that was happening. There is the scientific value of space exploration, but it’s also humanity reaching into the void and seeing what’s there. It’s not something you think about all the time but it’s something that’s in the background.”

Had you not joined Space Concordia, would your university experience have been as enriching? 

HJH: “It would have been completely different. I go to school for Space Concordia as much as for my degree. An actual entry-level engineering job is not going to be anything like actually working on a project built by people who you care about, but also doing real science in a place where very few people can go. My focus has shifted from learning to be an engineer to learning to build space technology and manage a team. It truly changed me.”