Dreams of space like Sunita Williams: NASA-selected student speaks

Fourteen-year-old Mahi Hemang Kumar Bhat, a student from Ahmedabad, has taken a major step towards her dream of space exploration after being selected for the STEM programme of the American space agency NASA.
Mahi, a Class V student of Lotus English Medium School, will visit NASA for five days as part of the programme, during which she will receive hands-on exposure to satellite launching, space science and related advanced technologies.
Speaking in an interview about her achievement, Mahi said she had earlier been selected for the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) programme.
She added that she is also associated with STEM initiatives of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Australian Space Agency, and is a member of international bodies including the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, UNESCO, the United Nations Organisation and UNICEF.
“My role models are Sunita Williams, Subhanshu Shukla and Kalpana Chawla.
I want to go into space like Sunita Williams,” Mahi said, expressing her ambition to become an astronaut.
Mahi’s father, Hemang Kumar, a film editor by profession, said her interest in astronomy developed at a very young age.
Recognising her curiosity, he encouraged her by providing books and learning materials related to space science.
This support helped her clear the entrance examination for the ISRO IIRS programme.
Following this, Mahi appeared for NASA’s online selection test and successfully cleared it, earning her a place in the prestigious STEM programme.
Teachers and well-wishers have congratulated Mahi on her achievement, noting that her success has inspired many young students in the city to take an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and to dream beyond the limits of Earth.