IT’S not too late to be in the running to win a trip of a lifetime to Space Camp; Windsor RSL and One Giant Leap Australia are accepting entries for the competition until the end of Thursday, July 12, and one lucky Hawkesbury student will be selected for a trip to the USA in the October school holidays.
The competition is open to students in Years 7 to 10, and all you need to do to be in the running is complete the entry form with your personal details, and tell the crew in 100 words why you want to go to Space Camp, include another 100 words about yourself, and a final 100 words explaining how you would use your Space Camp trip to inspire others.
Jackie Slaverio of One Giant Leap said the lucky winner would “have a truly life changing experience” on the trip, and they would be going with a group of other Hawkesbury students to Los Angeles, Atlanta and Huntsville in the USA.
The scholarship is worth $6800 and includes a half-day tour of the Northrop Grumman Headquarters at Redondo Beach, a tour of the Californian Science Centre, a full day at Universal Studios, a private SpaceX Presentation for Space Camp visitors, a virtual reality demonstration at Marshall Space Flight Centre, an all-day pass to Disneyland/California Adventure Park, and of course Space Camp - a six-day camp that is ‘out of this world’.
The lucky winner will join attendees from Bede Polding, Hawkesbury High, Richmond North Public, Windsor High and Colo High schools.
There will be various teachers on the trip, and the scholarship recipient is welcome to bring along a parent or carer (the extra person would need to fund their own trip but the Space Camp staff will help them book it).
“I’ve been 17 times to Space Camp, and have been taking kids there since 2008. That’s how I’ve become friends with Nasa astronauts!” said Ms Slaverio.
She said the trip is fully-approved by the Department of Education, and numerous adults experienced in education will be chaperoning the students, as well as some teachers.
So, who should enter? “Someone who thinks they could never do it, or lacks confidence, has a love for space stuff - someone who maybe feels like they don’t fit in,” Ms Slaverio said.
“A kid who feels like they would not have an opportunity like this otherwise, who thinks ‘it’ll never happen to me’.”
She said the scholarship is designed to provide an opportunity for a student who dreams of going to be able to, even if their family can’t afford it, or “something might have happened and they need a little lift.”
Enter at onegiantleapaustralia.com.