Watching Our Daughter Launch and Soar

By Andrew Yam, SCFG Parent

This summer, my daughter Amanda, a rising 6th grader, joined the Summer Rocketry Program with Science Club for Girls. As a parent, I was genuinely moved by how much this experience meant to her, and to all of us at home.

Over the course of just two weeks, we saw Amanda grow in confidence, knowledge, and curiosity. Every evening she came home full of energy and excitement, ready to share everything she had learned, how rockets work, what “thrust” means, and even about her field trip to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Her ability to explain these things really stood out. And more than that, her enthusiasm spread to our entire family. Science suddenly became part of our everyday life.

We have a two-year-old, a seven-year-old, and Amanda is the oldest. Because of her excitement, the whole family got interested in space and physics. We started playing science-themed Tonies on the Toniebox, including ones narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson. The kids even ask me to read his book Astrophysics for People in a Hurry at bedtime. One night we watched the new Brad Pitt movie F1, and when the film mentioned “drag” in the context of designing the race car, Amanda immediately connected it to what she had learned at camp about how drag affects motion and design. She also told us about how she wired her rocket with red and black wires, positive and negative connections, to make sure it was ready to launch. I was impressed not just by what she learned, but by how confidently she explained it.

The girls also went to the Christa McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University. Amanda told me she was assigned to a simulated space mission, playing roles both in Mission Control and onboard the spacecraft. She also learned about the inspiring life of Christa McAuliffe, which really stuck with her. With her interest in science growing, Amanda later asked to join our local library’s engineering class, where she built a bridge with wooden sticks and showed us how she used syringes filled with water to lift the bridge using hydraulic force.

I was grateful that the program invited parents to attend the final day, Rocket Launch Day, to witness what the girls had built. There was a big open field, and when it was each girl’s turn, all eyes were on her as she walked confidently to the center, set up her rocket, and prepared for launch. Then the countdown began, “Five! Four! Three! Two! One!”, and the rockets shot into the sky with a swoosh, trailing sparks, and smoke, soaring a few hundred feet into the air. When the parachutes opened and the rockets landed, the crowd burst into cheers.

What really touched me was finding out that the girls were given the opportunity to launch once the day before. Some had parachute issues or technical problems. During Amanda’s first launch, her parachute didn’t release. But what made a lasting impression was that the program gave them the chance to learn from failure, identify the problem, fix it, and try again. On the final day, Amanda’s rocket launched beautifully, and this time, the parachute deployed. That moment meant a lot to her. It was a powerful lesson about not giving up, trying again, and learning through experience.

Even when something didn’t go as planned, the girls were always cheering each other on. I remember seeing one launch where the parachute didn’t release, but a group of girls still shouted, “It still launched!” and clapped. That kind of support was beautiful to see.

At the event, I was fortunate to speak with several members of the SCFG team, mentors, organizers, and staff, including Cristina, Leah, Nneoma, and Mackenzie, who were all incredibly welcoming. Everyone had a unique background and journey that brought them to SCFG, and each person I met shared a real passion for what they were doing. Amanda often spoke fondly of her counselor, Beni, who played a big role in her experience. This program didn’t feel like just a summer camp. It felt like something bigger, something impactful and meaningful.

I was also honored to meet Dr. Dorothy J. Phillips, an American chemist and the Catalyst Awardee, who serves as the 2025 President of the American Chemical Society. She kindly approached us to ask about our experience. I shared that Amanda has always been curious about chemical reactions. Dr. Phillips encouraged her to keep following that curiosity, and explained how interests like that could lead to areas such as physical chemistry. That conversation really stayed with me.

The program ended with a celebration. Each girl received a certificate and ran around the circle high-fiving everyone. It went beyond learning science. It was about being part of a community, one that builds confidence, joy, friendship and a sense of belonging.

Thank you to Science Club for Girls, for giving our daughter a place to grow, dream, and launch. What you’ve built here is far more than just about rockets. It’s about believing in girls, and showing them how to believe in themselves. We can’t wait to see what she’ll continue to learn and become as she grows with this community and carries that spark forward.

Science Club for Girls' Summer Rocketry Program is funded by The Summer Fund at Philanthropy Massachusetts, Cambridge STEAM Initiative, Cambridge Public Schools, and the Kathryn and Charles Avison - Miriam Avison Charitable Fund. SCFG is also grateful to their Sustaining Partners who provide essential funding for our programs and operations: F5, Moderna, Cummings, and Life Science Cares.