SD-CoMETS Scholars - Tess Libby

I am a Mechanical Engineering Technology major. I was initially interested in astronomy after doing a research project on black holes during my freshman year of high school and had the opportunity to review a British quantum physicist who worked with Stephen Hawking. I looked into jobs that dealt with either quantum physics or astronomy, but I didn't find any jobs that personally I found interesting. Then, I watched the Perseverance rover launch and land on the news, and I knew I wanted to do something that dealt with rovers and rockets. I did some research on what degrees astronauts on the International Space Station had, and mechanical engineering was one of them. I know that I'm more of a hands-on learner, so when I found the College of Technology option at RIT, I knew it was perfect for me. During my sophomore year of high school, I received the American Literature Academic Award. The following year, I received the French III Academic Award, the Tech Academic Award, and the RIT Computing Award. I was also a member of my school's National Honors Society and was a Girl Scout for about thirteen years, where I received the Bronze Award. During my senior year, I was a recipient of the RIT Presidential Scholarship, my high school's local Student Alumni Association Scholarship, and I was SMAA All-Academic for cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track. I also became a part of the French Honors Society.

I want to positively impact people wherever I go, no matter if that takes the form of volunteer work, philanthropy, or doing little things that make people's day just a little better. With the wealth I hope to accumulate from hard work, I believe I could contribute more to charity, but for the time being, I'm starting small. I want to help RIT's American Cancer Society Club host the most engaging Relay for Life event, and ideally raise double the amount of money as last year. I would love to somehow involve RIT's community with my YouTube channel, too, and let people truly have fun with the video ideas, challenges, and competitions I think of every day around 2 AM while I'm either asleep or awake (on the weekends).

The dream would be to become a propulsion physicist or rocket scientist for either SpaceX or NASA, watching rockets launch, knowing that I helped make that beauty of engineering. Another career interest I have is becoming an astronaut, as I have a wide range of interests that would be enriched by pursuing such a career, and I could go through RIT's ROTC program to join the AirForce, which would likely be the quickest way for me to get into an astronaut training program, since some astronaut programs are linked to the AirForce.

Higher education is something we are privileged to have access to, but it comes at a great monetary price. Not only will the SD-CoMETS scholarship alleviate some of that pressure, it has assisted me in meeting other people in my major who will become friends and allies in the future. I come from a small town in southern Maine. I love plants, working out, playing steel drums, playing hockey, making videos, running, and animals. I love a good challenge that tests my mental and physical capabilities, so the "sloth hang" at Camp Arrowhead during the RIT Honors Orientation was perfect for me. At home, I have three cats! They all have such interesting personalities, which may make me sound like a crazy cat lady, but the longer you observe an animal, the more you notice its unique mannerisms. I have two older sisters and a neighborhood of lovely people who I love cooking for during the holidays, and a great group of friends I would spend a lot of time doing random challenges with (hosted by our high school cross country coach).