As a kid, I struggled with math and science until a model rocket launch in 8th grade changed everything. I was hooked, and eventually became an aerospace engineer and worked on satellites launched to the ISS. Wanting to give back, I started volunteering at a middle school and noticed the same negative attitudes towards STEM. So, one day, I invited kids to join me for a rocket launch after school, and that was the start of Space Club.

For six years, I traveled with a team of engineers and educators to underserved communities with rockets and robots, inspiring over 1,200 students. Our motto was, "Kids can't be what they can't see." So we brought in STEM professionals, designed colonies on the Moon, and traveled to NASA. The impact was clear: 8th graders in our program tested 89% college-ready in math, compared to 25% of their peers.

In 2020, Space Club expanded further when we received a NASA grant to develop the Educator’s Portal, an
online training and resource hub that allows educators to bring Space Club to their schools. In 2023, a new
non-profit organization was established, the Cosmic Leap Foundation, to grow and sustain these efforts. Today, thousands of educators across the globe are running their own versions of Space Club, and each year, teams join us for the annual international Space Colony Competition.

Now it’s your turn to bring the exciting world of space exploration to your students! Get ready for an epic
adventure that will transform your classroom into a team of astronauts and engineers—ready to explore,
collaborate, problem-solve, design, build, and grow together!

~Natasha Wilkerson, Ph.D. |  Founder & President of the Cosmic Leap Foundation