Johnson High School junior Ava Schlotterbeck, pictured, was selected to participate in NASA’s Texas High School Aerospace Scholars program earlier this semester. She is the first from Hays CISD to be selected for the program. Schlotterbeck, who discovered the program while researching for internships and scholarships, will participate in a year-long Science, Technology, Engineering and Math learning experience that caters to Texas high school juniors. The program starts in the fall with an online learning experience related to space exploration, Earth science, technology and aeronautics. The highest achieving students then receive an invitation to a five-day virtual summer experience (Moonshot) mentored by NASA scientists and engineers. During the summer experience, students work in teams to plan an Artemis-themed mission to the moon and Mars. Top teams then attend a residential experience at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Schlotterbeck hopes to possibly attend Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, or the University of Texas at Austin and major in aerospace engineering. PHOTO COURTESY OF HAYS CISD
