Ireland’s First Astronaut Speaks to the Irish Club
Last Thursday, members of the Irish Club met Dr. Norah Patten. Dr. Patten will be Ireland’s first astronaut when she flies into space, as early as next year. During the discussion, Dr. Patten shared her research and the preparations she is making to fly into space. After her presentation, students asked questions about her research and how she became interested in space.
Lillian Owens ’26 attended Dr. Patten’s visit. She shared the following about the visit, “Getting to meet someone who is not only from Ireland but has also achieved so much in her career in science and space exploration was an amazing opportunity. As both an Irish citizen and president of the SJA Irish Club, it was inspiring to see our culture represented in such an empowering way. Her presentation was encouraging and gave us the motivation to dream big and continue breaking barriers. Dr. Patten shared many remarkable moments and experiences from her life with us. One of the things that stuck with me the most was her determination and resilience in pursuing her dream of becoming an astronaut. She is breaking records and creating history. Being a female in a field that is still mostly male-dominated can be challenging, but she encourages women of all ages to look past this and take on leadership opportunities. Coming from Ireland, such a small country, she showed us how you can achieve anything by simply putting your mind to it. This opportunity was a meaningful event not only for our club, but for our entire school. As an all-girls school, it is amazing to see such a strong female role model we can look up to. Her visit reminded us that by staying confident and true to who we are, we can empower not only ourselves but those around us.”
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