As students return to school in Broward County, a new program is taking flight to inspire students in aerospace. Broward County Schools has launched the Space Florida Academy at nine schools, including Miramar High. 7News received a special look at the new opportunities for students from the a cademy. “Opportunities for students, everything from unique curriculum, guest speakers, internships, in the field experiences, but it also creates a direct pipeline to industry,” said Loli Formoso, Director of Adult and Community Education for Broward County Public Schools. The program offers expanded opportunities to explore several industries, including aerospace, aviation and engineering career paths through innovative connected learning experiences. The system offers a direct path to several jobs, from air traffic controllers to aviation mechanics, and can be used to earn an aviation license. “It’s really a way to create a pipeline for our students to go directly from our high schools into industry,” said Formoso. BCPS Superintendent Howard Hepburn said that the Space Florida Academy will provide essential opportunities for South Florida students. “It’s a great opportunity because the industry is growing every day, and more of our kids need to learn about this industry so they can take advantage of new and future opportunities in aerospace,” said Hepburn. He also called the partnership with Space Florida an important moment for Broward County. “It provides a high level of exposure, taking concepts that students are learning in the classroom and actually applying them in real-world situations. We can’t do this work alone, we depend on partnerships to open up those doors of exploration for our students,” he said. The Space Florida organization started 20 years ago, after the NASA space shuttle program’s retirement. Now, some former NASA employees are preparing to retire. Mike Miller from Space Florida hopes that the new academy inspires the next generation to work beyond the atmosphere. “One of the things I noticed when I walked up to my son, I work in the space industry, they all jumped up and wanted to talk to me so if that’s the next generation of Floridians then we’re winning,” he said. Students are already getting much out of the academy, with one planning to be a commercial airline pilot. “Going back to the opportunity and experiences that we can, all you know, commemorate over here, we can all make different connections. Networking is a big thing in this field, specifically, so I’m just excited to see where this takes us,” said high school student Hector Serrano. The students will also get the opportunity to upload their resume and credentials to a specialized system, and get preferred treatment to industries in aerospace and aviation. ...read more read less