KINGMAN – Skyler Cox of Kingman recently got the opportunity to attend Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The program lasted a week from Aug. 21-27 and trained students with hands-on activities to experience what working at NASA is like. The Camp promotes interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) while also utilizing important life skills such as teamwork and problem-solving.

Skyler spent the week learning what it would be like to be an astronaut and to work at NASA’s mission control.

This trip was something that Skyler decided she wanted to do herself. The trip was not facilitated through her school; it was a goal Skyler envisioned and decided to work towards on her own. To raise money, her mother, Tiffany Cox, said that she set up a lemonade stand.

“She wanted to earn money herself,” Tiffany said. “She made signs and mixed up the lemonade herself. I posted her picture with her signs on the Kingman Community pages. We were shocked with the turn-out!”

Tiffany explained that Skyler also wrote letters to family members to donate, but that a majority of donations came from members of the community visiting her stand. Skyler was able to raise $1,000 for her trip.

Skyler also attended the Camp independently and even traveled as an unaccompanied minor from Las Vegas to Huntsville.

“It was a lot of fun meeting new people,” Skyler said about her experience. “I really liked the zero-gravity machine and getting to complete missions. My favorite one was when I had a mission as a pilot of a space shuttle, and I had to land back on Earth. I had to make sure I entered at exactly 30% or we would blow up. I was super nervous, but I did it right and the mission was successful!”

Tiffany said that she would whole-heartedly recommend that parents look into the Space Camp on NASA’s website for their own children.

“I think this was a great experience for Skyler, not just to learn about STEM, but she was also able to experience being away from home and having to meet new people and work with them on a team,” Tiffany said. “I truly believe she came back a little more grown-up and mature than when she left, and she was only gone a week!”

Skyler was on Team Aries and her family watched her graduation live-streamed on YouTube, and even held viewing parties to watch her live out her dream of attending Space Camp.

Skyler currently attends fifth grade at KAOL Intermediate School and has plans to attend Harvard University and eventually work for NASA.

Andrea L. Heer