TEMPE, Ariz. (KPNX) – A 12-year-old Arizona girl is going to college with plans to become a NASA scientist after graduation.
At age 12, Alena Wicker is well on her way to achieving her dreams at Arizona State University. She completed her high school this year and quickly applied all of her homeschooling classes. She will begin university classes this summer with the goal of working for NASA as an engineer.
“I just had a purpose I wanted to achieve,” Alena said. “I always dreamed of being an engineer because I loved building all my life.”
Alena’s passion for building began with Lego sets when she was a baby.
“At age 4, she said, ‘Mom, I’m going to work for NASA and go there. “She would point to the stars,” said her mother, Daphne McQuarter. “She only had a gift for numbers and Legos and science, so I started cherishing the gift.”
One that exceeds expectations, Alena will double study in astronomical and planetary science and chemistry. If all goes well, she will finish college at 16 and the same year after NASA. Her goal is to build rovers, like the one sent to Mars in the Perseverance mission.
“I will be driving one of the future space mobiles with my study period,” Alena said. ‘It does not matter what your age is or what you plan to do. Go for it, dream and then achieve it. ”
Her next challenge is to build her online presence by launching a podcast.
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