9th - 12th Grade

Guiding high school students through a Mars mission and returning them safely to Earth.

"I enjoyed the diversity in projects as well as understanding how they fit into the real world."

"[I liked] learning about the business process and developing our own products because I want to own a business one day."

"[I liked] building real world models and figuring out how technical difficulties actually work in the space world."

"I liked being treated like an adult and being held with such responsibility."

"I liked to do experiments and work with others to create our own business."

"What I liked best about JSEP was getting to know that it's okay to not be perfect."

"I liked all the experiments we worked on and going on field trips to be able to learn from people that actually work in that field."

"What I liked best about participating in JSEP was the interaction with people in STEM industries and being exposed to more opportunity in STEM fields."

I would 100% recommend JSEP to people who are interested in aerospace because you can open a whole new world to yourself.

Whether that be to pursue aerospace or finding that you actually love something else. I found that there isn't only one option for me in life. As a low-income student, I had no idea that I could go any farther than being a commercial airline pilot. I thought that dream was impossible, and I would have to work and give everything I can to be a pilot, but my whole mindset changed after this program. My mindset started to change when my class met Astronaut 'Digger'. He talked about how he was low income and how he wasn't a very bright student. Hearing and seeing everything he had accomplished with less resources than me showed me that I can do anything if I put myself out there. So, I did. I put everything I could into JSEP because I loved the education I learned. This led me to apply to my Colorado Space Board Roundtable internship, which I was given. I love this program because it showed me all my 'impossible' dreams are possible as long as I take the initiative to put myself front and center.

- Grace L
Manitou High School