A 16-year-old Jamaican is now the recipient of a coveted National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) internship and will become the first black female from the Martin Van Buren High School in New York to be chosen for the prestigious position.
Rynola Fraser, who moved to the United States only two years ago at the age of 14, was selected to fill one of only four available posts from a total of about 4,000 who applied. She is scheduled to begin the six-week internship on July 5.
Fraser, originally hailing from Lionel Town in Jamaica, stated that though the international move took some adjustment, she had been steadily building her profile for some time as she prepared to apply for the post. She noted, however, that it was not something she wanted at the time as her lifelong dream was to become a lawyer.
Back home, Fraser attended the Hope Basic School where she learned its motto ‘Ever Striving For Excellence’, which she still lives by. She then attended Glenmuir High before moving to start her junior year abroad. There, she joined the Scholars club, housed some of the brightest children in the country, and was also placed in a Science Research class where she did mostly environmental field research. Soon after, her teacher Miss Wang encouraged her to apply for the NASA post after noticing that Fraser had a natural talent for the sciences.
During the internship, her team of researchers will include her teacher Miss Wang, Dr Dorothy Deteet and an undergraduate student. They will research the existing factors that affect climate change. In an encouraging note to others, the successful teen sent a word of motivation to others telling them “not to let opportunities pass”.
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