My distinguished mentor Dr. Tomekia Simeon, an assistant professor of chemistry at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana, is the focal point of my STEM hero tale. Being passionate about rocket design and space travel is a unique interest among Dillard University STEM majors. I understood that to eventually work for a space company, I would need to obtain experience rather than just talk about my enthusiasm, so I chose to major in mechanical engineering. This is exactly what I did; in my freshman year at Dillard University, I heard about a NASA-sponsored Ballon Payload Project, a prestigious space enterprise I wanted to work for since I was only a thirty-minute drive from the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. I got to see rocket science in action. I spoke with my current mentor, Dr. Simeon, about the NASA ballooning project she led since I was passionate and wanted to get my hands dirty and genuinely learn. I took the first action to becoming familiar with rocket designs. As the Assistant Lead, it was my responsibility to report to and update the team lead while also helping to coordinate the team's work. I kept this job until the Covid-19 epidemic in 2020 when it was terminated. I was happy to have my name associated with a NASA project since I knew that this was the first step in realizing my goals. At Dillard, my undergraduate courses were delivered entirely online for more than a year. My mentor looked for another NASA-related project that pushed the participants to gain real-world rocket science knowledge after realizing that the ballooning project had come to an end. The NASA University Student Launch Initiative, thank goodness, was that project. The Space Launch System (SLS) is supported by this research-based, competitive, experiential exploration initiative, which also offers development at a reasonable cost. In order to assist the Student Launce Initiative, a collective collection of institutions from across the country have committed to designing, creating, and launching payloads. Right now, I'm the Rocket Team's Team Lead at Dillard University. To construct a secure and effective rocket, this function necessitates a number of direct and indirect tasks. I always wanted to get participation from the team's engaged kids. I wanted to make sure that every person's voice and viewpoint were taken into consideration. I stressed assigning precise tasks to team members in order to construct a safe and effective rocket. The purpose of highlighting my achievements over my four years at Dillard University was not to gloat, but rather to highlight my mentor and how much support she had given me, either directly or indirectly. Dr. Simeon has influenced me in a variety of ways, including how to be a successful student, leader, businessperson, and even a person. I am internally thankful that I was able to study at Dillard University and that Dr. Simeon was there to help me along the way. She constantly tells me how she has watched my aspirations come true and how I have surpassed expectations in every situation that has come my way.
