We were on the lookout for a project that we could use school-wide that would address an international audience and focus on science…The whole point is to make STEM come alive, make science something greater.

It definitely affected how I think about science. I used to not like it at all, and now it’s my favorite subject. I definitely want to be an astrophysicist so I can study space more.

Working on the AGAR DreamUp project has been a game changer for me. It opened my eyes to what I really love to do as well as advance my education in so many ways… This project has helped me in so many ways. I owe a lot to this project.

Space inspires us to explore. I think we live in a day and age where most people are content with what they have on Earth — but we were founded on exploration. For us to reignite that passion of exploration in another worldly setting is kind of awesome…and very important.

I witnessed my project launch, and then recovered the results in what was easily the most educational process I had ever been a part of. I learned more during my ISS research experiment than I did doing anything else in high school. Every STEM student would be better off if they had the opportunity, as I had, to work along professional companies.