It’s October, and that means Halloween is right around the corner! Have you thought about your Halloween costume just yet? Every year, I pick one of my role models to dress up as, whether they’re an astronaut or a character from Star Trek. After all, that’s the great thing about role models, they’re there on more than just Halloween; they motivate you 365 days of the year! As I wrote in Chapter 8 of my book, Dream Big!: How to Reach for Your Stars, “Having a role model who talks about or shows that the path to success is often unpredictable, and includes mistakes and failures, can make all the ..read more

Have you ever wondered if our dreams really mean something, why we have them, or if they are beneficial to us in some way? For years, scientists have been asking the same questions. While dreaming is something we do every day, we still don’t know a lot about it. We often take sleep and dreams for granted. As I wrote in Chapter 7, “Striking a Balance,” of my book, Dream Big!: How to Reach for Your Stars, “Sleep is truly one of the most important basic needs that you have, and it’s one that’s often overlooked.” Delving into the science behind sleep and dreams teaches us a lot about how our brain ..read more

Imagine this: you are in the capsule of a rocket, strapped in and ready to blast off. Suddenly, the ground rumbles beneath you, and the speakers in your headset crackle to life. T-10, 9, 8… Ahead of you, you stare into the sky. You’ve been chasing after it for so long, and now the moment is finally here. T-6, 5, 4 … In mere seconds, you’ll be hurdling 17,500 miles per hour towards outer space. T-3, 2 … Think about how you are feeling at this moment: are you afraid? Everyone deals with fear – even astronauts. It is a part of human nature that we can’t get rid of. We can, however, be courageous ..read more

  Do you ever catch yourself trying to be perfect? We often strive to be perfect in all that we do, be it a school assignment or a project at work. This mindset, though, is not as beneficial as it may seem. The reality is that no one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. By striving for perfection, you are setting yourself up for an unattainable goal and will only be met with disappointment. The idea that failure is inevitable can be uncomfortable. However, as I wrote in Chapter 6, “Failure to Launch,” of my book, Dream Big!: How to Reach for Your Stars, “The stories of success that i ..read more

One out of every five students reports being bullied during their time in school. This number is unsettlingly high, and if you yourself haven’t been a victim of bullying, you almost certainly know someone who has. Bullying is an unfortunate reality that too many people have had to face. We must take steps to end it, and that begins by teaching others how to deal with bullying. Bullying typically begins because people are different from each other, be it how they dress or what interests them in their free time. As I wrote in Chapter 7, “Striking a Balance,” of my book, Dream Big!: How to Reach ..read more

Who is your role model? Science shows that having a positive role model helps young people reach success. This is especially important for girls in STEM, who generally have fewer women to look up to in their fields. As I wrote in Chapter 8 of my book, Dream Big!: How to Reach for Your Stars, “Having a role model who talks about or shows that the path to success is often windy and unpredictable, and includes mistakes and failures, can make all the difference in a girl or woman’s ability to believe in herself and her own path to success.” When girls have someone to look up to, they’ll be inspire ..read more

If you’ve ever taken a physics class, you’ve likely learned about Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion. Each law is crucial to understanding how our universe works. The first states that an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force, the second discusses the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, and the third says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. These laws are essential building blocks to understanding physics, but did you know they can teach us a lot about our everyday lives as well? I gave an example of this in Chapter 3 of my bo ..read more

  Imagine you’re at a sporting event, jumping up and down in the crowd for your favorite player. “You’ve got this!” you’re cheering them on. “You can do it!” You offer endless words of encouragement to the players, and soon enough, they score the winning goal. Now imagine that player is you. On your journey towards your dreams, you need to be your #1 cheerleader. You are your biggest support system, and through ups and downs, you should strive to always be there for yourself. As I wrote in the conclusion of my book, Dream Big!: How to Reach for Your Stars, “There’s nothing holding you ba ..read more

  Are you planning for your dream? Making a plan is an exciting step towards your goals. It allows you to think about your future, what you hope to accomplish, and all the incredible things you want to do along the way! While these exciting steps are all important to think about, it is equally important to consider the obstacles you will face throughout your journey. Everyone experiences obstacles and setbacks, and every person is affected by them differently. As I wrote in Chapter 3 of my book, Dream Big!: How to Reach For Your Stars, “Of course, it’s impossible to predict all the obstac ..read more

It’s October, and that means Halloween is right around the corner! Have you thought about your Halloween costume just yet? Every year, I pick one of my role models to dress up as, whether they’re an astronaut or a character from Star Trek. After all, that’s the great thing about role models, they’re there on more than just Halloween; they motivate you 365 days of the year! As I wrote in Chapter 8 of my book, Dream Big!: How to Reach for Your Stars, “Having a role model who talks about or shows that the path to success is often unpredictable, and includes mistakes and failures, can make all the ..read more