Carver High School Alumnus Receives Award From NASA Johnson Space Center
The Class of ’16 graduate spent his summer interning before heading off to college this fall.
Iván Delgado poses with one of his mentors, astronaut William McArthur Jr. (left).
[dropcap color=”#888″ type=”square”]I[/dropcap]ván Delgado continues to show he has the right stuff. He was recently honored for his efforts at Johnson Space Center.
Iván is an alumnus of [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]NASA’s Texas High School Aerospace Scholars (HAS) program. Upon finishing the program, he searched the One Stop Shopping Initiative website. Iván was looking for college scholarships when he stumbled upon an opportunity.
He applied and got accepted into a [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]yearlong internship at Johnson Space Center. Age didn’t let Iván stop him from pursuing his dreams. Iván was the only intern under the age of 20 and the only high school student. His fellow interns were college juniors, seniors and PhD students.
Iván Delgado poses with astronaut Victor J. Glover Jr.
NASA assigned Iván to the Avionics and Software branch in the International Space Station division of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate.
Iván worked on a program used by the Computer Safety Working Group at Johnson. This program compiles data that NASA officials use to identify safety concerns for anything from upcoming launches to software transitions.
The program uses a specific coding language that Iván had no prior experience with. Iván didn’t let this hold him back. He was up for the challenge. He, along with the help of his mentors, taught himself the new coding language to efficiently operate the program.
It’s an understatement to say that Iván had a lot going on his senior year at Carver High School. Iván started his mornings at Carver. Then each afternoon, he headed off to Johnson Space Center to work. Every night he completed homework assignments and space center work. The long days didn’t faze him. Passion drove Iván.
“My mentor provided an abundant amount of resources and technical support,” said Iván. “Before interning at Johnson Space Center, I felt limited to only a particular field of work. That is no longer the case. I now know that I can adapt and overcome any challenge in the future.”
Iván developed a deep appreciation of what he had learned at Carver and what he was learning at NASA. He also experienced the real value and excitement of STEM fields.
Iván credits Carver HS for preparing him for college and career.
Iván’s image is on the cover of the HAS program brochure.
He is grateful to the staff at [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Carver High School for preparing and giving him an advantage. Iván began taking engineering courses at the [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]magnet campus during his freshman year.
The engineering program at Carver uses [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]Project Lead the Way or PLTW curriculum. The PLTW curriculum comprises a set of STEM project-based activities. The acronym stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. These activities provide hands-on experiences for students. The goal is to teach key elements of STEM-based careers. To achieve this, teachers immerse students in rigorous problems they have to solve.
Iván acknowledges the skills he gained in math, science and English classes too. Iván also lauded the business information management course he took. This is where he learned MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel. These are skills he used every day in his work as an intern at NASA.
[vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/145311309″ width=”560″ height=”315″]Before his yearlong internship ended May 13, Iván received news he would continue to work at Johnson. [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]He got accepted as a full-time Avionics and Software intern this summer. He worked for the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. His last day was August 11.
“Through the entire NASA Johnson Space Center experience, I found my passion,” said Iván. “I want to work at NASA. The more I learned more about the space program, the more I realized that I want to be a part of NASA’s future. Every opportunity has increased my confidence in pursuing a career in STEM.
“I am going to miss my mentors and co-workers. They have become good friends to me.”
NASA Recognizes Iván
Iván was recently honored for his efforts at NASA. The award recognizes his “diligence and quick thinking in dealing with a circumstance that could potentially have represented a major threat onsite at Johnson Space Center.” Dr. Stephen Mackwell presented Iván with the award. Mackwell was the Universities Space Research Association’s (USRA) director of Lunar and Planetary Institute. He was recently named the USRA corporate director of science programs.
Iván Delgado poses with Dr. Stephen Mackwell.
“This recognition means a lot to me,” said Iván. “What good is a space program if the astronauts are constantly at risk? My job assured me that I am making an exceptional contribution to the agency. My time at Johnson has been an incredible experience. I am more driven … more motivated than ever to work in a STEM field. I realized that I can do anything I put my mind to.”
Summer is almost over. Iván will soon head to Texas A&M University. He plans to study electrical engineering. Iván hopes to make the world a better place through innovative technology.
Iván still has his eyes on the stars. He aspires to work at NASA where he can explore the fascinating new frontiers of space.
Keep reaching for the stars Iván!
Iván Delgado (fifth from left) is a HAS Program alumnus. He is posing with his 2015 teammates.
HAS Program
The state, in partnership with the JSC and the educational community, developed HAS in 1999. The goal is to encourage more students to pursue STEM careers. In 16 years, more than 8,000 students from across Texas have taken part in the program.
With the HAS Project, NASA continues its tradition of investing in the nation’s educational programs. The program seeks to get students excited about space. NASA wants interested students to become the engineers, scientists, researchers and innovators of tomorrow. This is critical to NASA’s future missions, which include missions to Mars and beyond.
Carver High School
Carver High School made [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]U.S. News & World Report‘s Best High Schools in the U.S. 2016 rankings. The [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]magnet school focuses on engineering, applied technology and the arts.
[vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/145311391″ width=”560″ height=”315″]About the Author: Leticia Fehling
