Strategic communication student becomes a star in NASA Development Programs

Liberty University junior strategic communication student Aariana Maynard has taken another leap on her journey to launching a career with NASA following an internship with the space agency last summer.

The start of Maynard’s involvement with NASA began during her junior year of high school when a science teacher encouraged her to apply for opportunity to become a Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholar (VASTS).  VASTS is one-semester program that immerses high school students in NASA-related research and also offers participants the ability to earn college credit for their work.

Maynard was later selected to attended VASTS Summer Academy, a week-long intensive which allows participants to work at NASA for the week. Maynard was blessed with the opportunity to meet Buzz Aldrin during this time, and she was selected to give one of the closing speeches at the end.

At the beginning of her senior year in high school, Aariana was selected to participate in the Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS), where she was part of a team responsible for examining the impact of global warming on the Earth’s hydrosphere. In 2018, Maynard was able to intern with the Virginia Space Coast Scholars, where she helped mentor and guide high school students with various research projects relating to communications and research. Maynard was encouraged by her supervisors to stay connected to NASA, as they recognized that she held multiple qualities that the agency looks for in their workers.

“I had inspiring mentors who invested in my development as a researcher and helped me develop as a leader,” Maynard said. “They encouraged me to pursue an internship at NASA.”

After applying for multiple NASA internships last summer, Maynard was accepted to NASA’s Capacity Building Program located at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. Due to COVID-19, however, her internship was conducted virtually. Throughout the summer, she worked from her home in Roanoke, Va., with five other interns organizing and editing NASA materials and conducting research on the United Nations Sustainable Research and Development Goals. With each team member assigned a specific area, Maynard was the lead communications editor creating graphics, videos, infographics, and press releases, while others covered statistics, analytics, web design, and research.

“Working with NASA’s Capacity Building Program was a fantastic opportunity,” Maynard said. “The work in editing and creating graphics, press releases, infographics, and videos was challenging, but also very intriguing, and I enjoyed it. I had the opportunity to collaborate and network with team members from all over the United States.  It was amazing how we were able to come together and make a final product to present in front of our mentors and supervisors.”

In preparing for the internship, Maynard said that her courses at Liberty showed her and her fellow students how to identify and properly reach their intended markets and demographics, a skill she said came in handy at NASA.

“Liberty University’s strategic communications program, specifically STCO 289, prepared me for my NASA internship by allowing me to practice and create videos and audio to engage a target audience.”

She said she chose Liberty’s strategic communications degree with a social media management specialization because she loves social media and sees it as a wonderful way to connect with individuals from all walks of life.

“I believe that the strategic communications major is the best fit for my interests — outreach, advertising, engagement, and public engagement — and it has enabled me to accomplish my end goals of working in media and in public relations,” Maynard said.

Maynard said the internship helped her sharpen her focus on working as a team and further developed her mind for research and critical thinking looking beyond the surface in order to solve problems.

“I learned that if you don’t know something, you have to do the research, and there is no such thing as asking too many questions,” Maynard said. “That’s what NASA wants; individuals who think deeply and ask relevant questions in order to help them develop a solution to a complex problem.”

After graduating in May 2022, Maynard hopes pursue a career in communications working for NASA or another governmental agency.

“I am so excited about this upcoming season as I prepare for my senior year this fall,” she said. “I look forward to seeing how the Lord will use the experiences He has allowed me to have to serve other in the years to come.”