Abigail Harrisonâknown online as Astronaut Abbyâis a 20-year-old aspiring astronaut, college student, influencer and creator of the non-profit, The Mars Generation.
The Mars Generation has more than 1,800 students worldwide participating in an innovative Student Space Ambassador Leadership program and has sent over 36 youths to space camp.
We spoke with Abby about her inspiring plans to be the first astronaut to walk on Mars, as well as how she is exciting others about pursuing a career in STEM and how she manages to balance college, work and her personal life.
College News: How did you know you wanted to be an astronaut?Â
Abigail Harrison: Iâve wanted to be an astronaut for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of looking up at the night sky and knowing that I wanted to explore the unknown.
 CN: Who were your role models growing up?
AH: Growing up I looked up to many astronautsâespecially the women! Especially prominent to me was Astronaut Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger. Not only was she an astronaut, but also an educator. It was her great passion for sharing space exploration that made me look up to her. Three years ago this came full circle when she agreed to join The Mars Generation board of advisors.
 CN: Whatâs so special about Mars?
 AH: Landing humans on Mars is the next stepping stone for humanity in space exploration. Itâs just hard enough to make it nearly impossible, but still doable. It will push our boundaries, challenge the very things we believed to be true about our universe, and allow us to make life here on Earth better. Itâs also a great opportunity to search for extra-terrestrial life.
CN: What does your future look like in regards to reaching Mars?Â
AH: After graduating from Wellesley this upcoming spring with a BS/BA in Biology and Russian Area Studies, Iâm planning to go to grad school for a PhD in astrobiology or planetary sciences/geophysics. Following that, I will work for a few years doing scientific research to gain experience and then I will start applying to the NASA astronaut corp. Throughout this time span, Iâll also be pursuing other skills and qualifications which will hopefully aid in becoming an astronaut and eventually getting to Mars. These skills include obtaining my pilots license (this winter break), continuing to obtain advanced certifications in SCUBA diving, studying Russian and Mandarin Chinese, skydiving licenses and anything else that can strengthen by application to the NASA astronaut corps.
CN: Can you tell us a bit about your non-profit?
AH: The Mars Generation is a 501(c)(3) focusing on educating the public about the importance of space exploration and science literacy, inspiring young people about STEM, and supporting them to pursue careers in STEM fields. We run several core programs including our Future of Space Outreach Program, Student Space Ambassador Leadership Program and our Space Camp Scholarship program that provides full paid (transportation included) scholarships to students experiencing poverty.
CN: What inspired you to start The Mars Generation?
AH: When I was 15 years old I worked with Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano as his Earth Liaison, sharing his experiences living and working in space with my social media audience. After working with Luca during his six months in space, I realized how important it is to provide inspiration and educational resources for todayâs youth. If we want to see humans walk on Marsâto truly become The Mars Generationâwe need to be creating a culture today that will result in a highly skilled and passionate work force in the future. Other than space exploration, educational advocacy is my greatest passion in life.Â
CN: Why do you think girls are still underrepresented in STEM occupations?
AH: Thereâs a long standing stereotype that girls arenât good at STEMâa stereotype which causes bias in the way girls view themselves and their performance and in the way that everyone else seeâs and treats them. We often consider this kind of bias to be a thing of the past, but itâs really not. Whether consciously or subconsciously, it still exists and is hugely problematic.
CN: How can we combat this?Â
AH: An incredibly important way to combat the underrepresentation of girls in STEM is to showcase women who are already doing great things in STEM fields. By having highly visible female role models we can teach todayâs girls to be able to see themselves pursuing STEM fields, and todayâs boys to not be surprised when they see girls excelling in STEM careers. Itâs especially important that these role models are visible in pop culture and mediaâwhere theyâll have the greatest impact.Â
CN: What advice would you give to young girls who are apprehensive about pursuing a career in STEM?
AH: I would tell them that itâs okay to mess up! Itâs okay to try something and then decide to go a different path! I think that as girls and women we feel that we need to be betterâperfect, evenâat things weâre told by society that we canât do. This is exactly the opposite attitude needed for a career in STEM! A huge part of STEM is messing upâitâs failing 99 times and then succeeding on the 100th. Thatâs because itâs hard, and itâs not something naturalâyou have to learn it. It can be really easy to be discouraged early from STEM after failing a few times if you donât realize how normal and vital to the learning process this is.Â
CN: How do you balance college, work and life obligations?Â
AH: Itâs hard. Balancing my personal life, my work with The Mars Generation, college, and everything else is a constant struggle. Iâm constantly double tasking and trying to squeeze every last second out of my days. For example, when traveling to speak at conferences or represent The Mars Generation as an influencer at events, I frequently find myself doing homework in cars, trains, buses, airports, planesâreally wherever I can. Sometimes this means getting creative with how I study or what materials I have available. Even so, there are plenty of times where I really have to ask myself: âWhatâs important to me? What do I want to put my time and energy into?â And that means sometimes having to sacrifice something in order to do something else well.
CN: What would be your number one piece of advice for anyone starting out at college?
AH: Donât compare yourself to anyone else. College is such an incredible opportunity to learnâboth from your classes and from your classmates. But in order to do so you have to recognize that everyone has different talents. So not being the best at something isnât a reason to not do it, itâs a reason to ask âhow can I learn?â and âwho can I learn from?â
CN: What is it really like to be an influencer?
AH: Honestly it oscillates between being incredibly tiring and out of this world rewarding. Being able to share my journey towards the red planet with millions of people here on Earth has been an incredible honor.