Job Shadow Day brings local students to Wallops

Twenty-one area high school juniors and seniors spent the day at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Feb. 2 for National Job Shadow Day.

The students came from public and private high schools in Accomack, Northampton, Worcester, Wicomico, and Somerset counties to shadow Wallops scientists, researchers and specialists from the Sounding Rockets, System Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Range and Mission Management, Advanced Projects, Operations, Environment and Safety Offices.

“Job Shadow Day enables students to have a firsthand preview of the Wallops Flight Facility workplace,” said Pat Benner, education coordinator. “The one-on-one student/staff experience allows students to gain insights into future careers and to ask questions about the education and technical training needed to prepare themselves for their future STEM careers.”

Reflecting on his experience, Benjamin Chase, a student from Worcester Technical High School stated, “The shadowing opportunity was amazing, and I learned so much! I learned that NASA is not only rockets and aerospace engineers, but also a whole community of different people working together on various projects. It was amazing to meet the different engineers and to see what their work is like.”

Many of the students expressed an interest in Wallops summer internship opportunities after their shadowing experiences. They were provided information on applying for Summer Internships at Wallops for high school and college students in 2023. NASA’s Gateway webpage provides online application information through the March 1 application deadline.

Upcoming educational activities for students and educators include:

• Junior Achievement Inspire Expo, Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, Salisbury, Maryland, March 14-16, 2023 https://easternshore.ja.org/events/2023-ja-inspire-experience
• Summer Internships https://intern.nasa.gov/
• Cubes in Space https://www.cubesinspace.com/

For more information about Wallops’ education programs, visit the Wallops Directorate Education Team website: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/education/home

Amy Barra
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, VAamy.l.barra@nasa.gov