Major: Astronomy

Minor: Physics, Dance

Graduate: Spring 2015

I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to take part in the Noyce Summer Internship program that UFTeach offers. My experience was at the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium (KSP Planetarium) at Santa Fe College. I learned an incredible amount of astronomical information that I was never taught about in traditional classrooms. That is why informal education is so important and necessary to people of all ages. The immersive experience provided by the planetarium yields a deeper understanding of the content. The internship showed me how much I love to communicate astronomy to the general public, and also allowed me to design some of my own planetarium shows for grades K-12. At the end of my internship, I was offered a permanent part-time position with the KSP Planetarium, and I am continuing to develop my K-12 productions. I have also recently been promoted to the Planetarium Assistant. The Noyce internship helped me discover my passion for informal learning environments, and one of my future goals is to become a Director of my own planetarium, so that I can continue to inform and inspire people of all ages.