Rocket Lab Awards $20,000 Community Grant to VASFA
While people anxiously await Rocket Lab’s upcoming launch of Electron, Rocket Lab is poised to launch new opportunities for local students, too, thanks to a partnership with Virginia Space Flight Academy. Based on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Virginia Space Flight Academy received Rocket Lab’s first Wallops Island community grant award of $20,000, designed to open access to STEM pathways for local youth.
The grant funding enabled Virginia Space Flight Academy (VASFA) to provide high-quality STEM learning, summer enrichment, and career-readiness opportunities in aerospace, coding, and robotics. Twenty students are currently participating in the STEM Academy modules. Additionally, this summer, ten students received full tuition to attend the Space Adventure Camp in Wallops Island, VA. A career-readiness field trip will also be conducted thanks to the grant funding. This trip will allow students to participate in behind-the-scenes tours and meet STEM professionals at Rocket Lab, Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, and NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.
“As Rocket Lab grows its educational offerings, we want to create more opportunities to inspire, inform, and involve our communities in the exciting future of aerospace. Virginia Space Flight Academy is already delivering on this mission with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion - so supporting their work is a no-brainer. We’re excited to continue this support and meet the young people engaged in their programs as they become the next generation of aerospace professionals”
“Rocket Lab’s presence in our community is exciting. Their innovative approach to space exploration is inspiring. Having cutting-edge aerospace programs on the Eastern Shore of Virginia is a game-changer for our future home-grown workforce,” says VASFA Executive Director Kim Check. “With the announcement of Wallops Island, VA, as the location of the first launch site and manufacturing and operations facilities for Rocket Lab’s new large rocket Neutron, we are excited about the potential this brings to young people in our local communities. With Rocket Lab’s support, VASFA is poised to provide more opportunities for local youth, pathways to successful careers, and a better quality of life. We are grateful for this opportunity to partner with Rocket Lab,” continued Check, “to benefit local students.”
Local teachers are excited, too. “As an educator, there is nothing I like to see more than a group of students 100% engaged in their learning. This is what I get to witness when our students participate in VASFA programs,” said Mellisa Stein, Talented and Gifted teacher at Kiptopeke Elementary. Dean Dedicatoria, a teacher at Arcadia Middle School, is enthusiastic about the partnership, too. “The Rocket Lab grant allows our students to be introduced to STEM and provides connections between what they are learning in class and STEM careers on the Eastern Shore,” he said. The Rocket Lab-funded programs are conducted by VASFA in partnership with Accomack and Northampton County Schools, reaching students in grades 4 through 8. “We believe STEM education is critical for preparing young people for the future. We also believe that all students deserve access to exciting, high-quality STEM educational opportunities and mentorship," says Check. “The Virginia Space Flight Academy offers students a glimpse into the future and highlights potential STEM career pathways. Our programs continue to positively impact students as they consider future academic pursuits and professional careers."