Ryan's Space Camp Essay

For his two references, Ryan also asked his volunteer supervisor at the library and one of his Awana leaders...


My name is Ryan Lee Griffing. I believe that I should be chosen for The Bernard Curtis Brown II Space Camp scholarship because I think Space Camp would be a fun and educational opportunity. I think that the MMU will be extremely fun, and I think building a model rocket would be educational. I also believe I should be chosen because I would like to know how an astronaut’s suit carries oxygen when the astronauts go into space. I would also like to know what it feels like to be weightless and sleep in space.

I think that the United States of America is the most blessed country on earth.
I believe that all of the freedoms we have as Americans have caused our country to greatly prosper. I believe that our soldiers fight in wars because they believe that all nations should be free. My dad is a soldier in the United States Army and I am glad that he is. He serves because it gives him a job that can keep me and my family provided for, he serves because he is healthy and able and not everyone who wants to serve in the military is able to. Finally, my dad serves because he believes it is a privilege to be a soldier.

One of my future goals is to become an astronaut. First, I will need to graduate from high school and then I will need to graduate from college. In college I would need to study math and science in order to become an astronaut. I would also need to know how to fly an airplane before I learn how to fly a spacecraft. Another one of my future goals is to travel to other countries on vacation. Another future goal of mine is to be a comedian because I like to be funny and make people laugh.

I volunteer at the library near my home for one hour every week. I began volunteering at the library in November, 2006. When I work at the library, I unpack delivery bins filled with books that are sent to the library from other libraries. I also clean books before they are returned to the shelves. I put books into bins that are going to other libraries. Sometimes I straighten books that are on the shelves or I cut out name tags for other library activities. Once I even stood guard at a broken computer so that no one would try to use it before it could get fixed.

After Space Camp the first thing I want to do is tell my parents about it. The second thing I want to do after Space Camp is tell my friends about how fun it was. After camp, I will know what it feels like to sleep in space, what it feels like to be one sixth of my weight and how to fly a spacecraft if I become an astronaut. After camp, I would like to use what I learned to design and build a Lego space ship. Also after camp, I will know more about what it takes to become an astronaut.