HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 21, 2015 – Retired NASA astronaut Michael Foreman visited High Point University today to speak with students and faculty about his 35-year career as a NASA space flyer.
After applying to NASA eight times, Foreman was chosen to join the elite astronaut corps in 1998 and rode to orbit for the first of many times. His message for HPU students is to “never give up on your dream.”
“Perseverance means everything,” says Foreman. “You have to find something that you love and if you continue to try, you will become successful.”
Some of the students in attendance recently visited the NASA Johnson Space Center to test a device they created called the “Chip n Ship.” The device may be used by astronauts to chip off samples of an asteroid while they’re exploring its surface. Today, the students showed Foreman the device they built.
“It was such a great experience meeting Michael Foreman,” says HPU student Matthew Iczkowski. “It is not every day you are able to meet an astronaut and show him something you built that an astronaut could potentially use during space missions. I loved being able to learn from his experiences. After recently visiting the Johnson Space Center and meeting Michael, I feel inspired to constantly pursue my dreams.”
“Meeting Michael has reminded our students to have dreams and set goals,” says Dr. Aaron Titus, associate professor and chair of physics at HPU. “I think the biggest message he gave us is to never give up and love what you do, which is what we instill in our students here at HPU.”