From dressing up as a rocket scientist in elementary school to dreaming of working in space exploration, Deepti Kousik, IHS senior, is pursuing Cornell University’s Mechanical Engineering degree in hopes of working for National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) one day.
Kousik was always intrigued by the vastness of space. She felt fascinated with how much of the space remains unexplored.
“I used to look at the stars and constellations with my parents all the time and marvel at how far away they were,” said Kousik.
This interest increased even more when she got the opportunity to talk to an astronaut.
“I remember talking to an astronaut as part of a school event in elementary school, which was one of the first times I truly realized how interested I was in outer space,” said Kousik.
Her interest transformed into passion when she visited the Johnson Space Center for the first time in elementary school.
“I’ve never wanted to be an astronaut, but I remember looking at the control room in Houston and thinking ‘I want to be in here someday leading a launch,’” said Kousik.
One of Kousik’s most memorable moments in this journey is a NASA program she participated in.
“It was so much fun to connect with individuals with similar interests and current industry professionals,” said Kousik. “I gained a lot of real world experience.”
When she applied to Cornell, a college that’s always been at the top of her list, she knew pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree would take her closer to her dream.
“I wanted to pursue Mechanical Engineering to work on devices such as space rovers one day,” said Kousik. “Cornell has some amazing resources such as [the] faculty [who] are currently developing research on innovating autonomous devices like the James Webb Space telescope.”
Finding out that she was accepted into Cornell was a surreal experience for her. The kind words of the people around her only encourage her to use this opportunity to the best of her ability.
“I think it’s extremely important to believe in yourself and put in the time it takes to achieve your goals,” said Kousik. “I’m very lucky to have a great support system and I think it’s important to be passionate about what you’re doing.”
