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Astronaut Christina Koch has traveled farthest in her life, but this week she traveled to her home state of North Carolina to meet with students, discuss her career, and explore public schools and STEM education. He joins Governor Roy Cooper in continuing to advocate. .
“My stay in North Carolina fueled my passion for exploration and helped me begin my own journey to becoming an astronaut,” Koch said in a press release. “A strong educational and extra-curricular foundation is key to ensuring we have the right skills to achieve great things in space and on Earth in the future.”
Mr. Koch and Mr. Cooper visited North Carolina A&T State University on April 23 and met with students and faculty in STEM fields. The next day, they gave a talk to elementary school students from Exploris School at the Executive Mansion.
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“North Carolina's leading public schools set their students up for success and encourage them to pursue star athletes to reach their full potential,” Cooper said in the release. . “We must invest in our public schools so we can provide them with the resources they need to train our future astronauts, doctors, and leaders.” A great example of how far education can take you to the moon.”
At both events, students and faculty asked Koch questions about his time and experiences in space. Mr. Koch personally met with students from his A&T rocket team and signed the rockets they designed and built.
Koch grew up in Jacksonville, attended public schools in North Carolina, and served on the International Space Station, where she broke the record for longest consecutive spaceflight by a woman. She also participated in the first all-female spacewalk. She is scheduled to participate in the Artemis II mission scheduled for 2025.
“One of the reasons we explore space is not necessarily to learn about the places we're going to. It's to learn about ourselves,” Koch said. “People who go to space don't bring bags of gold with them. They bring pictures of their families. By leaving our home planet, we realize that we are more similar than different.” That's what I learned.”
Koch said she credits her public education with preparing her for her career.
“In a way, that was preparation for me,” Koch said.
Cooper said it remains important to strengthen public education in the state, with close attention to STEM education and training. This is because these fields will create the “jobs of the future.”
“This clean energy economy that we are expanding in North Carolina will provide more jobs and more families will have more money in their hands. You need to be trained to get a job,” Cooper said. He said. “So we want to make sure those investments are made now. I'm telling you, if you're last in education, you can't continue to be first in business.”
At the Executive Mansion, Cooper decorated Koch with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, North Carolina's highest honor, from the Governor of North Carolina.
Koch gave Cooper the North Carolina state flag he brought to the International Space Station and a sapling that sprouted during Artemis 1's orbit around the moon.
Mr. Cooper and Mr. Koch's event was part of his declaration of 2024 as the Year of Public Schools.
