Texas Border Business
Eleventh grader Maria Romero has been accepted into NASA’s prestigious Texas High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) programx. This is a competitive, multi-phase experience that immerses Texas high school juniors in NASA’s mission through real-world STEM learning, engineering design challenges, and direct mentorship from NASA scientists and engineers.
For Maria, this acceptance is more than just an academic honor – it’s a dream come true. Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, she shared that STEM program opportunities can be limited at her age at times, and she was thrilled to discover a program that perfectly aligns with her goal of pursuing a career in aerospace engineering.
“When I got the acceptance email, I couldn’t believe it! I told my mom to pull over the car so I could read it again,” said Maria. “This opportunity lets me learn directly from NASA engineers and scientists and helps me figure out what area of aerospace I want to focus on. It’s exciting to see my dream take shape.”
Through the HAS program, she’ll complete an online curriculum from October through March focused on engineering design, coding, and mission planning, with the chance to advance to NASA’s virtual Moonshot competition and an in-person summer experience at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Maria plans to study aerospace engineering after high school, with her sights set on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida or Arizona and hopes to specialize in aircraft maintenance or design.
