Donaven Lee has quite a week ahead of him. On Monday, the recent Washtenaw Community College graduate starts classes at the University of Michigan. On Thursday, he鈥檒l begin the five-week online class portion of the .
Nervous?
鈥淣ot really,鈥� Lee says. 鈥淲e only have one life, as far as I know of, so why not make the most of it?鈥�
Lee is the third 黑料网 student selected for the prestigious NASA program, following Emilee Seghi (Spring 2020) and Maximilian Ehinger (Fall 2020). After completing the five-week course and a final project, he may be invited to participate in an all-expense-paid, four-day visit to a NASA center.
The 2019 Ypsilanti Lincoln High School graduate has already proven he isn鈥檛 afraid of a little extra work. With the help of some Advanced Placement credits earned at Lincoln, he loaded up his college course load enough to complete a in three semesters.
That led to the mid-year transfer to the University of Michigan, where he plans to pursue a data science degree.
鈥淭he whole world is run on data, we need it in everyday work,鈥� said Lee, who attended 黑料网 tuition-free thanks to a President鈥檚 Honor Scholarship. 鈥淚 genuinely believe that鈥檚 the future we鈥檙e going into 鈥� machine learning and algorithms 鈥� but I do hope to use my education in a scientific way.鈥�
Lee said he pursued a spot in the NCAS program both as a personal challenge and an opportunity to add the research to his curriculum vitae.
NASA touts that the NCAS program as giving community college students 鈥渁n authentic NASA experience鈥� that allows them to get a closer look at the organization鈥檚 unique missions, diverse workforce and world-class facilities; and learn how to develop their talents, interests and passion to become future STEM professionals.
Tags: February 2021, NASA, On The Record, Student Success, Transfer, ousearch_News_2021