TAMPA, Fla. — Encouraging young girls to pursue their dreams in any career. That's one of the many missions of Girl Scouts. This weekend they'll be focusing on science, technology, engineering and math at STEMapalooza!
Back in November, the Orion spacecraft launched from Kennedy Space Center with some very special cargo. Girl Scout badges — 90 in total — were on that mission. At STEMapalooza this weekend, one local girl will be thrilled to accept hers after winning an essay contest.
"And I want to be a space chef when I grow up." 8-year-old Elizabeth is already dreaming big. "I really want to go in space, but I also want to cook so I wanted to be a space chef and they need them and they need more good stuff. They should not have pizza in a tube."
She's been a Girl Scout for a few years now and recently entered an essay contest to earn a space science badge. She just happened to be visiting Kennedy Space Center with her family when she got the news.
"It was an awesome day of my life because now I'm going to have a new patch and it's from space," she said.
Dr. Sara Arias-Steele is the Vice President of Programs and Partnerships for the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. "We're super honored by NASA for really supporting the Girl Scout mission of fostering the curiosity for girls to go into the STEM field and to really have a love for space exploration."
She says Elizabeth will get her badge at STEMapalooza this Saturday at Florida Polytechnic.
"It is where we bring local leaders here in Florida and as well women leaders in STEM to come in and bring hands-on, playful, interactive activities where all of our Girl Scouts, their friends and families can really dive in deep on all the different avenues and careers that are out there in stem and also get to play."
And for girls like Elizabeth to get a chance to literally reach for the stars. "I always dreamed of me in space."