Lyndsay West was a seventh grader at Forest Meadow Junior High when she first thought about becoming an astronaut. By tenth grade she was serious about pursuing Aerospace Engineering. During her junior year, she attended a father/daughter banquet at Royal Oaks in Lake Highlands with an organization called HATS – High Adventure Treks for Dads and Daughters. HATS is a nonprofit organization – a blend of the outdoor challenges of boy scouts and the father/daughter bonding of YMCA Indian Princesses. After graduating from HATS in ninth grade (graduation involves a two-week trek through Colorado with your dad), Lyndsay did some volunteering for the organization, mentoring younger girls and inspiring them to believe in the fullness of their capabilities.
The keynote speaker for the HATS banquet was NASA astronaut, Dr. Sandra Magnus, and from that moment on, Lyndsay was hooked. Dr. Magnus (Sandy, she encouraged the girls to call her), shared her experiences preparing for space, overcoming her fears, learning new skills, and reaching for seemingly unattainable goals.
Today, Dr. Magnus sits on the International Space Station. You can read her Expedition 18 journals here and watch for her when she returns to Earth on April 7 after months in space.
"Sandy encouraged me,” Lyndsay said. “I had read about her in magazines – she was a celebrity to me. She could talk about space first hand. She made me think my childhood dream could become a reality.”
Lyndsay attended summer boot camp at the Air Force Academy that summer. She came away just as sure about becoming an astronaut, though it helped her rule out the military. She is weighing her college options, looking at UT, UVA, Cornell, Northwestern, Stanford, and Vanderbilt. She’s been the captain of the LHHS Highlandette drill team this year, and she is expected to be named Salutatorian when class ranks are soon finalized.
When I asked her if her chosen field would be more difficult for a woman, she bristled a bit. “I’ve never been afraid of competing in a man’s field. It’s true there are fewer women engineers, but that will give me an advantage.”
