Today on National Space Day, SpaceKids Global, a Florida-based national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating elementary students in STEAM+ (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics and environment), announces the winners of the 2022 National Essay Competition: Milan of Los Angeles, CA, and Brian of Hamburg, NY. Each SpaceKidet wrote an essay about “Why I Want to Go to Space” and all essays were reviewed by a minimum of four judges from top space industry organizations. Half of the submissions were from girls, a promising result as women today only make up 27% of all STEAM+ workers nationwide.
Milan, grade 5, Los Angeles, CA – “My goal in life is to be a space scientist. But astronauts don’t get to space on their own. It takes everyone working together to accomplish that goal. … Earning a trip on Zero-Gravity would help me further my dreams that I mentioned above. … I could then use that experience in the future to help understand what the effects of zero-gravity would do to the human body and utilize that experience to help them.”
Brian, grade 6, Hamburg, NY – “For me, this would be life-changing as I would experience what microgravity feels like, and as a future astrophysicist, I think this is very important to my understanding of what I hope to work on for my career. …  If more people realized how fun zero gravity can be, more people would want to travel to space. I would like to someday help people accomplish this.”
The Zero-G Experience® ($8,200+ value) will take place on a Boeing 727 airplane specifically designed for the zero-gravity adventure. Flights occur across the country in Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Seattle, Austin, Long Beach, New York, and Washington, D.C., and Milan and Brian will experience the space-like flight at a location near them. 
“This year’s National Space Day is even more special for me. When I was in space, I couldn’t stop thinking about the stories I wanted to share with students back on Earth. We heard from hundreds of kids from across the U.S. and are inspired by the passion and intelligence of our future STEAM+ leaders. We are thrilled to give these two SpaceKidets™ a chance to ‘fly like an astronaut,’” says Sharon Hagle, founder of SpaceKids Global. “We are incredibly thankful for the investment from Zero-Gravity which made this competition possible, and for the time and expertise of our esteemed panel of judges.”
Hagle was the only woman on her space expedition with Blue Origin this past March. She traveled with her husband, Marc Hagle, as the first married couple to journey to space on a commercial vehicle, in the 10-minute flight. 
“Congratulations to Milan and Brian! Our team is excited to welcome these two deserving winners to experience what it’s like to be a real-life astronaut. It is important for us to encourage the next generation of space explorers and get kids excited about science education. We are very appreciative of the work SpaceKids Global is doing to get kids interested in STEAM+ careers and have seen firsthand how these flights have inspired children to dream big and get excited about their future in space,” said Matt Gohd, CEO, Zero Gravity Corporation.
SpaceKids Global supports students interested in exploring space year-round by visiting schools and partnering with organizations like the ISS National Lab. For more information about Hagle and SpaceKids Global’s mission, visit https://www.spacekids.global/.
About SpaceKids Global: 
SpaceKids Global is a Florida based, national nonprofit, with the mission to educate and actively engage a national audience of elementary students in STEAM+ environment activities, ensuring girls are equally represented, while inspiring all to pursue careers in space exploration and technology. For more information, visit https://www.spacekids.global/.
About ZERO-G 
Zero-G’s a privately held space entertainment and tourism company whose mission is to make the excitement and adventure of space accessible to the public. It is the only FAA licensed zero gravity experience on planet Earth. Zero-G offers a rare opportunity for individuals to experience true weightlessness and the feeling of being a real-life astronaut without going into space! The Zero-G Experience provides unprecedented access to space environments that are otherwise reserved for a journey to the International Space Station. Zero-G passengers have the opportunity to join an exclusive group of Zero-G Experience flyers that include Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Richard Branson, Hollywood celebrities Kate Upton, Justin Bieber, Martha Stewart and Ashton Kutcher, astronauts Scott Kelly and Buzz Aldrin, and Stephen Hawking. They’ve partnered with NASA, MIT, and other major university research facilities and we are now offering a limited number of consumer passenger seats for our exciting, once-in-a-lifetime space adventure experience.