Last Chance: Apply now to go to Space for Earth!
The time has come to get your applications finished and submitted! S4H’s Citizen Astronaut Program (CAP) Closes November 15th.
We all know the feeling of crunch time! You’ve put off your application till now. So, now it’s time to breathe, gather your thoughts and submit your application in the next 24hrs.
But what’s next after you’ve hit submit? Well, there’s no better resource to ask than S4H’s own Director of Human Experience, Maikala Harris.
Take it away Maikala…
As Director of Human Experience, I think a lot about what kind of experience applicants of the Citizen Astronaut Program have. Ultimately, I want it to be a positive, transparent, and supportive experience. Let me share a bit more about how I reflect those three pillars in our work:
Positivity
After leaving a career in international teaching and entering into Human Resources, I continually created programs and initiatives that I wish I had. Why should a job interview feel like an interrogation? Why should we trust that references of former supervisors are unbiased and framed in honesty?
So, when I created the framework of the selection process, I didn’t want to build a rigid system that pitted people against one another for the top place. The space industry has seen too much of this “top of the class” mentality. Rather, I refer to the finalists as a pool of aligned candidates and as this pool makes their way through selection they are never ranked or numbered against one another.
Transparency
A major focus of 2023 is for there to be education about our selection process through blog posts, videos, and S4H Media Campaigns. We want people to know how we choose our citizen astronauts and the process from “First Contact” (inspired by the obvious movie reference) all the way through to flight.
We have begun to create webinars (see below) and social media content (follow me @universal_inclusion) to share more with you about what goes on behind the scenes. I want each of you to all have the best shot when applying. There is no secret criteria or hidden agenda.
Support
It takes a lot to put yourself out there in any application. Through reading your heartfelt applications, I understand the weight of application because going to space will ultimately change your life forever. The support through our program begins at First Contact and continues as you are shepherded through the final stages of the selection process, and possibly before, during, and after flight.
Our program is young and still under development, and although there are many unknowns, one thing I will guarantee is that we will continue to build a positive, transparent, and supportive environment.
Know this. We do this for the applicants. We do this for the change they will bring back to Earth. But also for those who apply and don’t get chosen in this specific pool. Because the moment a person becomes a CAP applicant, they become part of a very special pool. They each have expressed and demonstrated their like-minded dedication to go to space for Earth, and we at Space for Humanity will support that mission for our entire community.
So, strap yourselves in, 2023 is gonna be an exciting journey, and we get to do it all together.
Thanks Maikala. Well, all that’s left is for you to apply!
While you go through your application, why not watch/listen to our QnA Webinar with Maikala, S4H Citizen Astronaut Katya Echazarreta, and S4H Executive Director, Rachel Lyons, answering your questions about the program and the selection process.
FOLLOW US ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS TO BECOME A PART OF THE JOURNEY, TO SPACE, FOR EARTH!