Putting on my flight suit, I had one mission: save the president. I knew the next hour and a half would be hard, but it was one of the most memorable simulations we did at space camp.

Getting off the airplane in Huntsville, Ala., I had no idea what to expect. Little did I know the other space campers I was meeting would be some of the nicest people I had ever met. The next week I spent with them was one of the best weeks of my life.

When I was first accepted to space camp, I was less than excited. I applied to the program half hoping I would not get accepted. In fact, I was terrified of what was to come.

My first concern was making friends in a new environment. However, from the moment I got off of the plane there was an overwhelming sense of camaraderie. I got the sense I wasn’t the only one with these worries.

Another worry of mine was I would be the dumbest one at space camp, and I would be blown out of the water in the activities we did.

As the week went on, I had to continuously work with people I hadn’t met before the week. Although it was hard at first, it became easier as everyone emerged as a leader in their own way.

The contributions made by everyone served the team well and everyone’s opinions were heard and validated during the week.

In the simulation involving a fighter plane mission where we had to bomb Miami and fight off enemy planes in order to save the president and land Air Force One in Miami airport.

Although we were unsuccessful in our mission, the activity involved acting on instinct, and trusting our initial decisions on who flew what and what we wanted to buy with our budget. This brought us closer as a group and made us trust each other more not only then, but all week.

In this simulation, everyone was important and I realized my worries about seeming dumb were insignificant. Everyone was unsure about what we were supposed to be doing and that was what brought us together.

I had spent all of my time in preparation worried about making friends, and being the dumbest one there. In reality, if I had just embraced my inner nerd and been excited about it, I could have enjoyed the experience way more.

Throughout the week, everyone’s nerves became a driving force in keeping us together. Because we were all in leadership positions, we relied on others to be leaders.

By learning to interact with others and focus on the possibility for positive outcomes, space camp taught me skills to help blast off into life.