They announce the second mission of “Ella es Astronauta”, a program that takes Dominican girls to NASA

SANTO DOMINGO. The Government Office of Information and Communication Technologies (Ogtic), the Innovation Cabinet and the Colombian Foundation “She Is” will make history again with the second call for the She Is Astronaut program, which seeks to bring 15 girls from the Dominican Republic to the NASA Space Center Houston.

They indicated that in the first version the lives of more than 120 girls from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic were impacted and that this time they will continue transforming the lives of girls in vulnerable conditions, through STEAM education, social empowerment and female leadership.

Bartolomé Pujals, director of Ogtic and the Innovation Cabinet, highlighted the importance of the second version of the program for the country, since the results of the first have had a very positive impact on the young participants, their families and their environment.

«From Ogtic and the Innovation Cabinet, we are committed to building an equal society where young people can play a transcendental role in technology and innovation development issues. That is why we understand that actions like these contribute to this purpose that is promoted by the Dominican government”, added Bartolomé Pujals.

Meanwhile, Nadia Sánchez, president of the She Is Foundation, appreciated the effort that has been made by the Dominican State so that the new generation of girls and adolescents have the opportunities to fulfill their dreams of participating in transcendental initiatives like this one, which generate greater opportunities, promote better education and motivate to be an inspiration for change.

“These alliances represent a great effort to achieve more girls and adolescents in the training of areas such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics, which allows building greater equity and promoting better access to education throughout the region.” says Nadia Sánchez, president of the She Is Foundation.

Tamara Vásquez, executive director of the Dominican chapter of the She Is Foundation, said that due to the success of the first promotion at NASA, where a total of 10 young people raised our flag, this second version of the program is being carried out.

“We will work to continue impacting the STEAM ecosystem in the country and female empowerment from childhood. We are contributing to their life transformation, strengthening their comprehensive training and professional personal growth. The goal of this 2023 is to impact 15 new Dominicans with the Ella Es Astronauta Program ”, she indicated.

They informed that girls interested in living this great experience should register through the website www.she-is.org, from April 1 to 28 and
that the selected crew members will have the opportunity to participate in a hybrid educational program that includes 4 months of virtual classes on social entrepreneurship, STEAM skills, robotics, soft skills, teen pregnancy prevention, cyberbullying, webinars with astronauts and the CEO of the Space Center , and other high-impact exhibitors.

They revealed that the program culminates with a week-long academic immersion in the NASA Space Center, where they will have activities on robotics, programming, rocketry, lunar habitats, and talks with experts in flight direction and space travel simulation.

The She Is Foundation communicated that girls interested in living this great experience must meet the following requirements: be between 11 and 16 years old, not be a relative in the first degree of consanguinity of a public servant, the family must be in a situation of extreme poverty, moderate poverty or demonstrable vulnerability condition, receive academic training in a public educational institution, demonstrate excellent academic performance, have time availability to complete all classes and activities, among others.

“This program opened new doors for me to a better future, changing my life story and generating a promising future,” says Stacy Jael Rodríguez, a 14-year-old crew member who participated in the first version of the Higüey program, La Altagracia.