Last Wednesday, senior civil engineering major Phong Ly of Brandon became Mississippi State University’s first-ever recipient of the prestigious Astronaut Scholarship. The award presentation was held in Mitchell Memorial Library’s John Grisham Room and featured astronaut Jerry Ross was the keynote speaker.
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which began with each of the original Mercury 7 crew members sponsoring a $1,000 scholarship, has grown to award 50 scholarships of up to $10,000 each to deserving students studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) across the nation.
Ly, one of these 50 highly qualified young students, will receive $10,000 in scholarship award money, as well as the chance to meet and network with many influential figures in the STEM field. From now on, MSU will award an astronaut scholarship to a student every year, thanks in part to the generosity of MSU alumnus Ray Gildea.
Tommy Anderson, director of the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships in the Shackouls Honors College, said the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s decision to partner with MSU in awarding an Astronaut Scholarship every year is a testament to the high caliber of students which MSU’s STEM programs produce.
Ly said he was grateful for the support and generosity of those who made the scholarship possible.
“Thank you so much for providing this opportunity and really believing in the talent that is here at MSU,” Ly said.
Ly will use the award money to help pay for graduate school, where he plans to focus on the environmental side of civil engineering. He currently does not have any plans to work in the space industry, but did mention NASA offers a variety of job opportunities for almost any degree.
Anderson said Ly is a wonderful student who has taken advantage of the mentorship and resources MSU offers.
“Phong’s a remarkable student; he’s been a pleasure to work with. The thing about Phong that I think is the most exciting is that he understands the value of mentorship,” Anderson said. “He sought that mentorship out through the civil engineering faculty and research mentors. He’s also willing to mentor other students at the university. He’s going to be an outstanding scholar, researcher and industry leader when he gets out of here.”
To students interested in applying for the Astronaut Scholarship, both Ly and Anderson stressed taking advantage of the resources at MSU, particularly the office of Prestigious External Scholarships, mentorships and research opportunities. Anderson encouraged students to start as early as possible in laying out a plan to be competitive for prestigious external scholarships.
As the keynote speaker at the award presentation, Ross delivered an inspiring account of his journey to a successful career in the space industry. Ross, veteran of seven space shuttle missions and a joint world record holder for most spaceflights, offered encouragement to young people when he recounted how he did not get into the Air Force test pilot school on his first try.
“Things don’t happen in life in a straight line, from A to B,” he said. “Never give up. I didn’t let it stop me and I was fortunate enough to ultimately get where I wanted to go.”
Ross concluded his speech by remarking on the necessity of perseverance in order to achieve success.
“That’s why I’m here today, that’s why I wrote my book: trying to encourage young people, trying to show them that I was just a normal kid; but I had a dream, I set a goal for myself, I studied hard, I worked hard and I didn’t give up too easily when things didn’t work out the first time,” Ross said. “And I think that you’ll find out that any other human being who would be considered a success is going to have a very similar story.”