Milton Hershey School – Hershey, PA
Jaunine (teacher): Greetings! I am currently in my tenth year of
teaching the sciences. This is my second year at Milton Hershey School
and I LOVE IT HERE! Milton Hershey School provides a free, residential,
Pre-K-12 education to approximately 1,300 financially and socially
disadvantaged youth. We are located in Hershey,
Pennsylvania…Chocolatetown, USA! We are the Home of the Hershey bar and
HersheyPark Amusement Park.
I am currently teaching SPACE/Earth Sciences to _ of our approximately
170 9th grade students. I am also the Herpetology Advisor
(reptiles/amphibians/exotics), as well as the Ski Club Advisor. I am
currently seeking a Masters in Instructional Technology through Duquesne
University. Once this is done, I will be seeking National Teacher
Certification in Science, as well as my Doctorate in Instructional
Technology.
I also applied for and was accepted into the Mars Student Imaging
Project, which all of our 9th grade students will begin participating in
this fall! As an organization, we are committed to our philosophy of
Servant Leadership and the growth of our students. We LOVE what we do!
A VERY special ‘thank you’ to the ASIP team for choosing our school to
participate in this opportunity!
Stephanie (student): I am currently a junior at the Milton Hershey
School. I am most recently from Shippensburg, PA, but I have been to
many different states. I was born in Great Lakes, Illinois, which is
located right outside of Chicago. I have two younger sisters and a
younger brother.
There are many opportunities that I have taken advantage of during my
free time at this school. Most of my after-school time is spent at our
stage production class where I do a lot of the set and lighting
designing. I also spend time helping Habitat for Humanity, I’m a member
of National Honors Society, and I participate on rock climbing trips
with the rock climbing club. My leadership roles include positions as
Treasurer for FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), and President
of SkillsUSA- VICA (Vocation Industrial Clubs of America). Finally I
also work part-time at the famous Hershey’s Chocolate World. This summer
I will be cooping full time at ColorTech Graphics in Lebanon, PA. My
additional interests include graphic design, fine arts, reading/
researching, and astronomy.
After high school, my plans are to apply and be accepted to Rochester
Institute of Technology to receive a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design
and Printing Management. I would also like to minor in marketing and
look into any additional astronomical and/or Stage production
activities/courses.
I am very interested in the Athena Student Interns Program for many
reasons. The first reason would be because of my memories of Kennedy
Space Center in Florida. I lived not to far from it, and I remember
being able to sit in my own backyard and see the rockets leave Earth. I
also remember being in school watching the launch on television, and
being able to look out the window next to it seeing the same exact
thing. Since I have lived there I have had a great fascination with NASA
and space exploration. Most of the knowledge we have received and
continued searching for is about one of, in my opinion, the most
interesting planets, Mars. That is my second reason for being so
interested in this program. I look forward to being able to work with
actual NASA scientists and learning more about this already intriguing
planet!
Lauren (student): When I was young my parents brought me up by letting
me find my own path, and by the age of seven I was sure it would be in
the stars.
Even though my parents were divorced, I saw my father frequently. When
he discovered my interests, he nurtured them and helped them to grow. By
age nine, I had become determined to go to Space Camp, but due to the
financial situation of my family, that would not come true.
Because of the same financial situation, several years later I was
accepted into Milton Hershey School. I started my freshman year, and
plan to graduate next year. I am still looking toward the stars and now
that I have this opportunity to get closer than ever, I am thrilled!
Right now I reside at Milton Hershey School. The girls there are my
second family, and the houseparents are a wonderful support. From
growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, I would have never expected that
the scientists I looked up to would become real people I could meet and
speak to. I never thought that sitting in my 8th grade class back home
in Nativity of Our Lord school, that I would have a real adventure to
Mars. The Athena Student Interns Program is my dream come true, and
hopefully my return to a childhood dream.
