Alyssa Carson

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Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

How do we inspire girls? How do we spark their interest in science and technology to talk about female role models? I am pleased to have with me Alyssa Carson, an inspiring young woman and a role model herself. Since she was a young girl, Alyssa dreamed of going to space. She attended space camp no less than seven times and was the first to complete the NASA passport program. After that, she became the youngest NASA astronaut trainee. She is now in college studying astrobiology. I'd love to learn more about that. And at the same time, she is a brand ambassador for organizations like the Mars One Foundation. She also writes books, and gives speeches to encourage young girls to join her in science and technology. Welcome, Alyssa.

Alyssa Carson:

Thank you so much. I am excited to be here.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

So, Alyssa, let's start with your motivation. When were you first interested in science and technology and when did you decide to focus your career in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)?

Alyssa Carson:

I have pretty much been interested in space ever since I was a little girl. I got fascinated with space very early on. I started asking my dad all these questions about space and science. No one in my family really had any sort of space or science background. So, he told me the little bit he knew about the missions to the moon, but that one day that could progress, and we could do something else within space and that that could be something that I could be a part of. That definitely sparked my curiosity. I pretty much just started asking for books and videos and posters and everything about space. The first time I was able to go to space camp was really when I realized, yes, this is for sure. What I want to do in space camp is really just have a place for me to open up and learn information about space. I had been wanting to see life sized rockets. It was just pretty much my equivalent to Disney World.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

How old were you when you went to your first space camp?

Alyssa Carson:

The first time I went, I was around seven.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

Wow, amazing. And of course, when you look at the STEM field, you probably know that there's a gender gap. You've probably encountered that in your studies. We have this big gender gap in STEM that needs to be bridged. Women are underrepresented in most areas of science, technology, mathematics and engineering. Of course, that means that there's fewer role models to help forge those paths for girls to follow. But despite that, you've become a role model yourself. And maybe if you could share with us who were your female role models or even mentors when you were a little girl and dreamed of becoming an astronaut.

Alyssa Carson:

Yeah, totally, I definitely had some really awesome female role models, one in particular was astronaut Sandra Magnus, who is a female shuttle astronaut. I met her when I was around nine and I just pretty much asked her to share her story with me. And she was also relatively young, around nine or so, when she got interested in being an astronaut. Seeing someone who decided at a young age to put in the hard work and made it a reality made my dream feel so much more realistic. She had a huge part in that. But I think that in a lot of the different things that I've done, whether that was doing different research or campaigns with project PoSSUM, there are so many amazing females there to really look up to— and really within project PoSSUM, which is kind of like this system science research group that I'm a part of. They were all typically older than me. So, I was able to see some really amazing experience, females working in their own respective industries. But it's definitely true. Since coming to college, I've been able to see that gender gap a whole lot more. My university is very STEM, very space based. We have about 70 percent male compared to female. And even within my own major, you know, I can probably only name three or four other women in my major. So, I've definitely been able to see that. And being able to take that role and hopefully inspire other girls has definitely become such a big part of my life, something that I didn't really expect. But it has definitely been the most fun to really see the faces of kids when they realize the true opportunities that they have.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

That's great! One of your missions, as you just mentioned, is really to inspire young people to follow their dreams and inspire change through STEM fields. If I can ask you, why do you think we need young people's contributions when we look at the technology space? And if you could share your thoughts on how we can use technology for good? Of course, COVID has really put the spotlight on the use of digital tools in everyday life for school. So, if you can maybe share your thoughts and reflections on young people's contributions.

Alyssa Carson:

Yeah, definitely. I do think that especially within the space industry, but really kind of in the STEM industry in general, there are going to be so many jobs coming up in the next few years. Space is about to have so much going on. There are so many space agencies around the world that are getting involved with different things. The idea of private space, the idea of space tourism, there's just a lot of ideas coming into play with space. I definitely think that the young generation right now, they are going to be such an important part, and technology is going to be an even bigger part of their lives. It's crazy to think that technology could even be more important than it even is right now. But technology will continue to be integrated and continue to become bigger parts of our lives. And so I do think that the next generation is going to have those opportunities that we don't really know too much about yet. I think getting them to spark that creativity, spark that imagination… to start thinking of these new fun things that we can do with technology and how they can better solve a lot of problems that we have is going to be really, really cool to see happen.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

That's great, thank you for that. What we've been trying to do at the ITU is really to encourage and support young people, spark their imagination, as you mentioned. And of course, in addition to lots of opportunities, there's also some big challenges. Today, we have some three point seven billion people that are still not connected. And the majority of these unconnected are actually women and girls. Can you share with us your thoughts about why you think that connecting girls and women with technology and STEM education is important?

Alyssa Carson:

Yeah, definitely. I do think that it's typically kind of like a societal norm that we don't really think about. But I think that as we talk to young girls what we really need to keep in mind is how a lot of these little moments can really make a difference for them in terms of their interests, in terms of technology and STEM. A good example I like to use— let's say a little girl breaks her bike. How are you going to go about that situation? Are you going to show her how to fix it? Are you going to fix it for her? Maybe just show her brother how to fix it and not show her… some of those little moments, just like fixing a bike. Sure, she can absolutely hate it and that's perfectly okay. But she can also really gain an interest in how things work, or in mechanics or engineering. A lot of those little moments really add up over time for them to really figure out what it is they're interested in. I definitely think as we continue to talk to young girls, being able to teach them about the different opportunities that there are within technology and STEM [is important]. Something that I think we really need to emphasize more, is that even in the space industry, you would think that there are scientists, engineers and astronauts. But what else is there? You know, it takes tens of thousands of people to send one astronaut to space— there are spacesuit designers, there are rocket engine testers, there are people who study psychology, journalism. There are people who prepare the food that goes up to space. There are so many other unique jobs that we don't really talk about as much because they aren't as common. So kind of to go along with that as we teach some of these jobs… maybe they will gain more of an interest and then we will see more girls in STEM because there are more opportunities, then they probably know of. And that's just because in our everyday school and our everyday school life, we really only talk about a lot of the same traditional jobs, whether that's doctor, teacher, lawyer, and all of those are great. But a lot of those non-traditional jobs really get thrown under the rug. So, they [girls] don't really know of all those opportunities that they're capable of going into.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

That's great. And of course, there's many of those not so traditional jobs in the tech sector. So you mentioned little moments. Is there a specific sort of little moment that you can recall that was maybe life changing for you? You gave the analogy of a girl fixing her bike or having her brother fix it for her?

Alyssa Carson:

Yeah, you know, I do think that for me, there were a lot of little moments. I think in general, just having my dad be supportive from the beginning was super huge and something that I think really made an impact. You know, when I first brought up the idea of having an interest in space, my dad was pretty much all for it. He was super excited. Even the first time I went to space camp, my dad was right there with me, riding the simulators. He was learning information about space. Seeing how he was there right along with me to go through all of this, I was like, okay I have the support. I have what I need to continue working and learning more about it. I think a lot of that played a really big impact on me, keeping my interest in space and also, making me think that it was something I was capable of doing because I had my dad right there next to me doing a lot of it with me. Although it wasn't as direct as, breaking my bike, it still definitely had a big impact on me wanting to continue my interest in space.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

That's great. The role of parents, especially fathers with their daughters, is so important. So, if I can ask if you were to give advice to a girl out there who wants to pursue a career in STEM? What advice would you give?

Alyssa Carson:

Definitely my first advice would just be, try to find something that you're really, really passionate about, try to mix your interests. Like I said, if you like space, but also like clothes, what about space suits? Or maybe find something that you're really, really going to enjoy, because if you're passionate about it, it's going to make a world of difference. But I definitely say that the first step is really looking for any sort of small opportunities in your local area, and that could be even a club at school. Let’s say you're interested in robotics. You joined a robotics club, but maybe one day you want to do space robotics. So maybe you're just getting an idea of what robotics is. And a lot of those little opportunities, like I said, they can definitely be within school or your local area and doesn't have to be anything crazy. They can really make a big difference because you can see a little bit more about what that job would look like or if that's something you are really interested in. But the biggest thing is, while you're taking advantage of those opportunities, is that you are talking about your dreams and telling people what it is you want to do. You never know where any opportunities are going to come from. You never know who somebody else knows. So, while you're at that robotics club you mentioned, ‘hey, robotics is awesome!’ But maybe one day I'd want to do space robotics or whatever it is. And, that can really lead to a lot of amazing opportunities. That's really one of the biggest things that has led to a lot of amazing stuff for me— it was really just me talking about my dreams. Let's say just as a college student, you wouldn't even guess that she [I] knew anything that would lead to any amazing opportunities, but they really can lead to some awesome stuff. So talk about your dreams and don't be afraid to really share what you're passionate about.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

Such great advice. Talk about your dreams. Don't be afraid to share your passion. Look for small opportunities, mix your interests. I like that one, especially the space and fashion. It could be a great career choice waiting to happen out there. Thank you for that. Really good advice. So, Alyssa, I put this question to all of my interviewees. What was your first mobile device and how did it change your life?

Alyssa Carson:

I'm trying to think. I mean, looking back, I didn't actually get a smartphone until I was pretty much driving, so probably until I was like 16. I had, little flip phones before then, but nothing too fancy, just to keep in touch with my dad every now and then. I'm pretty sure that was my first real mobile device. I could actually do more than make a phone call. And my dad even didn't want to give me a phone at that point. But he was like, ‘okay, I guess if you're driving, I should probably have an easy way to contact you’. As far as what it did to change my life, obviously staying connected with so many people, whether it's at school or even all over the world traveling, staying connected with people globally, has been some of the biggest and most exciting things I've been able to do with technology. And through social media as well. I think the way we are able to stay so connected is amazing. And I do think that it has made a big change. But definitely growing up, it was super interesting because I grew up right at that stage where at first phones weren't super popular and then they became really, really popular. Now they're just absolutely normal. So, definitely that nice progression is kind of how I grew up.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin:

That's great, terrific. Thank you for that, Alyssa, and it's been such a pleasure to chat with you. I want to thank you for joining us today, for sharing your experience, and your inspiration. And until next time, as Alyssa said, let's stay connected. Thank you. Goodbye.

Technician:

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