BOISE, Idaho — Caldwell High School student, Nick Mendez, is reaching for the stars this summer as he and two other Idaho high school students were just selected to intern for NASA.
When it comes to the world of STEM, Mendez said he has always had a passion and curiosity about the field.
"I know that in the future I would want to do something in STEM, more specifically aerospace engineering," Mendez said. "I'm interested in learning more about space and stars. I've always had an interest — especially in NASA sending people to space, building rockets and satellites."
An interest that just landed him the opportunity of a lifetime: an internship with NASA.
"It's an internship partnered with the University of Texas at Austin and NASA," Mendez said. "They invite incoming high school juniors and seniors to go over and do NASA-based research in a field of their choosing."
Mendez is also a member of Caldwell High’s Robotics team and said being in that space has elevated his passion for STEM, which helped him get the internship.
"I have been able to work with others and find a love for STEM just by building coding and using those robots to see what they are capable of doing," Mendez said.
Mendez credits his TRIO advisor, Joshua Angler, for the achievement since it was Angler who helped Mendez find the internship and supported him along the way.
"He is one of the most driven students that I've worked with," Angler said. "He's also very intellectually curious."
Mendez is one of the first students in Idaho to get this internship. Angler believes opportunities like this one will bring value to the high school and encourage others to follow in Mendez’s footsteps.
"Students inspire me, and I think I have gained a lot more from them probably than they have from me," Angler said. "When other students get to see another student from Caldwell High School take an opportunity like this, it means a lot. They see themselves represented in him and what he's doing. It changes what students think is possible for themselves."
For Mendez, he sees this as the first step in making the field of STEM more diverse.
"People come from all sorts of backgrounds, and because they come from those backgrounds, they have their own unique experiences that they will be able to offer up at the table," Mendez said. "So by having Idaho students, they will be able to get a unique perspective in different issues in STEM."
But this is much more than an internship for Mendez; he sees it as a chance to represent his culture, his parents and the state of Idaho.
"They always say we wanted to go here so we can have a better life. This just goes to show their hard work being able to be paid off. It's also an opportunity to give back to my community," Mendez said. "I'm really excited to represent not just Caldwell but also all my heritage and my community — so going out to represent the Hispanic and Latinx people."
His internship starts July 8, and will run for two weeks. Mendez has already connected with the other two students; one from Meridian and the other from Xavier Charter School in Twin Falls.
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