The catchphrase, “to infinity and beyond,” brings to mind the lovable space traveler, Buzz Lightyear, from the Toy Story animated film series. These four words also reflect the limitless potential we see in the young men on our campus every day. And for six of our Verbum Dei Jesuit students, it is a reminder of a recent trip to Houston, Texas, where they experienced the wonder of space firsthand.
In October 2023, sophomore Lamont Newell and juniors Diego and Julian Cano, Steven Cuevas, Raphael Enriquez, and Josiah Henderson traveled by military transport to Ellington Airfield to join students from the Dallas and Houston areas for the STEM-Liner III Experience, a three-day immersive learning program at the Johnson Space Center and NASA Space Center Houston.
During their time in Houston, these young men toured NASA’s Astronaut Training Facility, including the Natural Buoyancy Laboratory, where astronauts can perform tasks in weightless conditions mimicking space, and the Mission Control Center. They also participated in STEM-related workshops presented by Microsoft, Space Center Houston, and Avalon Carter, where they coded lunar drones, built and launched their own rocket models using physics principles, and worked alongside computer scientists and engineers to apply AI to a real-world society challenge. “It was fun to travel on the plane and see the NASA space stations. I was really looking forward to the coding part of the trip and it was interesting to see the ways that I can use math and science in the future and in ways I hadn’t thought of,” shared junior Josiah Hankerson.
The trip was made possible through the generosity of longtime Verbum Dei Jesuit supporter and board member Frank Luntz and is part of a focused effort to give Verbum Dei Jesuit students access to more STEM-related programming outside of the classroom. “We recognize that to ensure our students remain competitive in college and when they enter the professional world, we need to make sure they have a strong foundation in STEM,” says Verbum Dei Jesuit principal Dr. Jesse Rodriguez. “We are excited to hear from these students about their experience and see what we can learn from them to incorporate into our curriculum.” As we enter the holiday season, we want to express our deep gratitude to Frank and to donors like you, who together ensure that our students have access to opportunities like the STEM-Liner III Experience and the education and resources they need to thrive now and in the future. We look forward to sharing more with you about the strategic vision for our academic programming, including STEM, and how you can get involved. In the meantime, we invite you to come to campus to see all that is taking place here at Verb up close.
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