M
eet Ricco Aceves.He is one of only 150 students from 70 universities in the country who
has been accepted into the prestigious NASA Pathways Intern Employment Program. Over the next two fall and summer semesters, he will move to Houston to work alongside professional engineers at the Johnson Space Center. The NASA Pathways
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internship gives undergraduates the opportunity to explore federal careers while still in school with the possibility of being hired upon graduation. “NASA is home to many of the best engineers and scientists and my goal is to be part of that group,” says Aceves. “NASA’s vision states, ‘To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown…,’ which is the same vision that I have for myself. To be part of a team that benefits humankind was a dream — now it’s becoming a reality.” This isn’t Aceves’ first encounter with NASA. As a senior in high school, he was accepted into NASA’s Career Exploration Program and worked with a team to engineer and program a speech-dependent robotic arm that is now utilized as a prototype tool for astronauts.