BRMS student wins scholarship to space camp

Blue Ridge Middle School 8th grade student, Izabella Hortega, applied for and won a full scholarship to Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

Receiving the scholarship required Izabella to apply her characteristic hard work ethic, her passion for learning and creativity to complete a science experiment. 

For her experiment ideas, she turned to her 7th grade life science teacher, Andrew McClellan, for support.  They worked to streamline her hypothesis as it applied to measuring the impact of different light forms (white, UV and infrared) on microorganisms found in water as they may apply to sanitation.  

Hortega, with the support of McClellan and school science equipment, worked independently to gather stream water from a local source, set up independent and dependent variables, created multiple trials, gathered and finally analyzed her data.  Her summary supported UV light as the factor with the greatest sanitation impact on microorganisms in water, making it safe to consume or use.  

The hard work and analysis paid off when she learned about her scholarship win.  

“I did it! I got the full scholarship to Space Camp. I couldn’t have done any of this without you. So thank you, thank you, a million times thank you.” This is what she emailed McClellan after getting the award. McClellan said, “She did it! Izzy is fantastic, and I knew she had a chance to win the scholarship. I told her that she can do anything she puts her mind to.” Brion Bell, the principal at Blue Ridge Middle School said, “I am so pleased with her persistence and efforts.”

The scholarship will cover tuition, room and board and $500 towards travel to attend a 6-day Space Camp program this summer from Northrop Grumman Corporation. 

She will be spending the week participating in the Aviation Challenge at the United States Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama learning and collaborating with other kids her age from around the globe.

Hortega will experience the unique sensation of being three times her normal weight in a one-of-a-kind centrifuge, learn about aeronautics, propulsion and aviation history, fly in a UAV drone simulator, simulate aerial combat, and embark on a search and rescue mission to bring a downed pilot back from behind enemy lines while communicating with a team and evading hostile force.

For more information about Space Camp scholarships,visit https://spacecamp.com/scholarships.