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Image: Olay

With the International Day of Women and Girls in STEM on Feb. 11, there is no better time to chat with a successful and powerful Woman in STEM herself. Alyssa Carson is a graduate of PoSSUM (Project Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) Space Academy.  Because of her deep passion for STEM and outer space, she joined Olay's #FaceTheSTEMGapsquad. Check out the Olay products inspired by Alyssa—they won't be available for long, so grab 'em now!

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Alyssa Carson (@nasablueberry)

Alyssa has been interested in STEM since she was a kid. She told us, "I remember asking my dad questions about if people have been to the Moon or Mars before, because I was really interested in space. He told me a bit about missions to the Moon. No one in my family had a space background, though."

As Alyssa got older, her interest in space grew, and so did her determination to become an astronaut. While studying at the Flordia Institute of Technology, she has been able to accomplish a ton. However, she always makes sure to spend time with her two roommates, have fun with her puppy and binge-watch the Vampire Diaries on Netflix (duh!). 

We were *amazed* to hear that with Alyssa's certification, she can do a real space flight! "It's been exciting to go after my dreams. Everything I do is helping me for my career. I want to inspire others, which is similar to Olay's goal of getting more girls and women in STEM."  

Image: Olay

Alyssa is a great role model for so many young girls out there, so we *loved* hearing about astronaut Sandra Magnus, who was Alyssa's role model when she was growing up. 

"I had the opportunity to meet her when I was nine, and I got to talk to her one-on-one about when she decided she wanted to be an astronaut. She was a huge inspiration for me, because she helped me realize it didn't matter what age I decided to do this. If it was something I was passionate about and wanted to do, I just have to put in the hard work to make it a reality." 

Although Alyssa is the youngest astronaut in training, she shared with us that it has *def* not be a piece of cake getting there—along with some *bomb* advice on how to tackle those obstacles when they arise. "Having a support system around you is my biggest thing. Although there aren't a lot of women in STEM, finding the women who are in STEM and getting close to them is huge. Having at least one person constantly rooting for you can make a huge difference—whether it's a parent, teacher or anyone."

Alyssa has *lots* of goals for her future. "I'm currently studying astrobiology, so I definitely want to work in that field one day. Of course, another huge goal would be to get selected as an astronaut. I really just want to make an impact on the space industry in any way I can."

Her advice for GL readers? "I definitely like to encourage kids to think outside the box. I was talking to a girl who's in middle school and likes fashion. She asked if it was possible to design spacesuits to make them more fashionable. It's that outside-of-the-box thinking that matters. Once you figure out what subject you're interested in, it's really cool to see how you can pair the interests together. You don't even have to like math or science to work in the space industry!"

Check out Alyssa's limited-edition Face the STEM Gap Olay Regenerist Moisturizing Cream and follow her on Insta @nasablueberry for *all* the awesome space content!

All GIFs via Giphy

by Hayley Miller | 2/11/2021