Margaret was easily the coolest person I’d ever met, and I’d only known her for about ten minutes. She was a NASA intern at the Ames facility, and was fielding all my questions about her field, nanotechnology. As part of the Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars (ISAS) program, me and forty-two other rising high school seniors had completed a semester-long online class during the school year, and were now participating in a week-long Summer Academy. Talking with scientists, engineers, and interns about everything from prosthetics to Reynold’s number made me realize something very powerful. School does not accurately represent how the real world works. I didn’t realize it until I was reflecting on my experiences with the Academy and the FIRST
