Six engineering students from Americas High School were accepted into the 2023-2024 NASA Texas High School Aerospace Scholars Program.
The program is an authentic STEM learning experience for Texas high school juniors to engage with NASA’s missions and become the next generation of explorers.
Christian Luera, Gael Mena, Ryan Parra, Cosette Ruiz, Johanna Serrano, and Zoe Zuniga are currently participating in the five-month program, engaging in online learning related to space exploration, Earth science, technology, and aeronautics.
“Through this experience, I hope my students will gain confidence in their STEM abilities and help them realize that students from El Paso can do big things and be successful,” said Jacqueline Villalba, an engineering teacher at Americas High School. “I know my students are wonderful and I want the rest of the world to see how great they are.”
The program began in October and will run through March, where students will focus their studies on five learning modules, each with readings, multimedia content, discussion posts, and activities.
“This has been a good experience and has given me a deeper understanding of the field of computer science,” Mena said.
Ruiz, who also shares an interest in computer science, said she hopes to gain more exposure to the world of engineering and STEM.
“Being someone who has always been curious about how things work, it is amazing to read about new topics and then apply it in assignments,” she said. “I hope to learn a lot by being in this program.”
After the initial five months, students will have various opportunities to explore more of the program, including a chance to visit the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, participate in a summer virtual experience, and earn science elective credits that may be applied to their high school GPA.
“I’m extremely proud of my juniors for not only applying, for being selected, and for doing the extra work to learn and gain STEM experiences outside the engineering classroom,” Villalba said. “They have risen to my challenges. I could not be prouder of how much they have grown and will continue to grow this year!”