I've raised £1100 to help Bethan attend the ISSET Mission Discovery Space Camp at King’s College London for a week-long residential course and travel.
Organised by Andrew Bexon
Story
MEET BETHAN - FUTURE SPACE ENGINEER, MARS EXPLORER AND WELSH PIONEER?
Bethan, aged 14, has some big choices to make in her life. She was destined to study administration at her local college, but had a ‘weird ambition’ to be a space engineer. She wasn’t even sure this was a thing but what kept this dream alive was news of the latest NASA Mars probe and SpaceX docking at the International Space Station, but that all seemed very distant, on a different continent, far from her life at school in Cardiff.
Luckily for Bethan, a chance discussion outside the school gate started a conversation about how we, as industry professionals, can encourage young people to explore their dreams through events and summer schools that they otherwise may not have the opportunity to attend.
The Mission Discovery Space Camp at King’s College London this summer run by the International Space School Educational Trust (ISSET) will make all the difference for Bethan. As a registered UK charity, they work in partnership with some of the world’s leading space organisations to deliver unique learning opportunities for people of all ages.
In many ways I wish I’d had that opportunity when I was younger
Dr Michael Foale, NASA Astronaut and ISS Commander
She will join Michael Foale and Tony Antonelli, both astronauts and genuinely inspirational people, for a 5-day programme to work on science projects to create an experiment for space research, with one being chosen to be built by NASA and KCL, and carried out on the International Space Station (ISS).
Bethan is an inspirational young person; she plays table tennis on a national level and is a very academically able student with some big ambitions. Here are some of the endorsements she has received:
I believe I was one of the few, if not the only, girls from my secondary school in inner city London to have studied Aeronautical Engineering at university. I went on to work at Airbus operating the British military spacecraft fleet and for the past 20 years I have loved working in the space industry. Bethan and I had a conversation recently about her hopes and aspirations and I must say I was completely amazed by her conviction and self-belief. She articulated her drive and ambition for her future. Bethan is in shock regarding the opportunity to attend the Mission Discovery Space Camp and kept wondering how a girl from a small town in Wales can be afforded such a life-changing opportunity.
Shahida Barick, Head of Spacecraft Operations at Effective Space
It’s my pleasure to say that Bethan is an outstanding pupil. She is in set 1 for science and consistently ranks at the top of the class in test results and levels. She is a pleasure to talk with and communicates well in class, both answering and asking questions. She has an enquiring mind and takes science seriously, having chosen to take part in STEM for our fortnightly enrichment class, science and STEM subjects are important and interesting to her.
Mr Wallace, KS4 Science Coordinator Brynteg Comprehensive School
Bethan has been a member of our club for 3 years and has progressed from casual beginner to an International standard player in this time. She is extremely hard working and a very determined individual. She has faced many battles in her short career and always finds a way to bounce back and progress further. She is an absolute pleasure to coach and a valuable member of the team.“
Nathan Thomas Coach Cardiff City Table Tennis
We want to raise funds to help students like Bethan, 13-18 year of age, to experience events and residential courses that help them explore their ambitions and become student ambassadors for the opportunities in STEM in the United Kingdom.
Initially we are looking to help Bethan this Summer with £1000 funding for a week-long residential course and travel. Depending on the level of your support we have big ambitions of our own as we want to help more students experience these types of events across the scope of STEM.
