Grace Kalei Stumpf is a very ambitious, intelligent ninth grader attending iLead Exploration and is a co-principal investigator on Team Yucca glauca. Grace loves animals, more specifically, horses! She also enjoys reading; her favorites include Reaching for the Moon, The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson, Let the Sky Fall, by Shannon Messenger and I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. Grace’s passion is flying gliders. She hopes to be a Certified Flight Instructor one day and teach others to fly.
In what ways has this experience influenced or inspired you?
“This project has given me so much confidence. School presentations were the most terrifying thing in the world for me at one point, but because of the DreamUp to Space program they don’t bother me anymore. My writing skills have improved as well as my public speaking skills. I’ve really come out of my shell because of this program.”
Describe how it feels knowing that you are getting the opportunity that very few people have ever gotten– to be part of a team sending an experiment to space?
“This project has given me skills that will help me throughout the rest of my life. I wish more people were able to have this opportunity. This is a once in a lifetime experience, so I am giving it my all!”
Why did you choose to be apart of this launch team?
“I had an incredible experience last year as a member of Team Radiata! I knew I wanted to be part of DreamUp again and I was ready for more responsibility; to lead a team. I could not pass up the chance to author an experiment and contribute to real science research in Space. I also wanted to give other learners the same opportunity that changed my life.”
Who do you look up to and why?
“Some of my inspirations are Malala Yousafzai, Michelle Curran, and Katherine Johnson. However, the person I look up to the most is Kathleen Fredette, the Director of the iLead DreamUp to Space program. She does so much for the members of the DreamUp teams. She is always supportive of our interests and dreams. Mrs. Fredette has become so much more than a teacher; she has become a mentor and a friend.”
Site: iLEAD Exploration
By: Rae Brown