Mississippi State University (MSU), Parker Glass, is working on the NASA Artemis II mission at the Kennedy Space Center, helping to send astronauts around the Moon, the first mission of its kind in 50 years. But Glass didn’t always see a career in space exploration when he first moved to Mississippi, even though he grew up with a family connection to NASA. And he didn’t always have to stay in Starkville, but the love for the people and sports kept him coming back.
Glass grew up in Yorktown, Virginia, near NASA Langley Research Center. His dad worked at NASA Langley, exposing him to space exploration and the work done from an early age.
“My dad has worked at NASA Langley since I was a kid,” shared Glass. “I grew up going to bring your kid to work day, coming home to NASA stickers and other things that my dad would bring home from work.”
But it wasn’t until 2009, when Glass’s dad took the family to a space shuttle launch at Kennedy to experience a night launch, that a seed was sown.
“We were sitting on the causeway, looking out at the pad, and watching that launch,” shared Glass. “As a kid, seeing the bright light in the sky, then there’s a delay, and you hear it, and then feel the power of the rocket, it hit me. I want to be an astronaut!”
Like most kids, Glass had an infatuation with becoming an astronaut, but as he grew older and moved up in grade school, his interest in a profession drifted toward opportunities this side of the atmosphere.
“When I was in high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do; I toyed with engineering or business,” shared Glass. “But actually settled on a major in PGA Golf Management, which is what brought me to Mississippi State.”
There are sixteen PGA Golf Management schools across the country. The PGA Golf Management program at Mississippi State University is highly regarded, frequently cited as one of the best in the nation. It is the second-oldest (established in 1985) and the only accredited program in the SEC, offering a B.B.A. in marketing, making it highly sought after.
“I first visited MSU in 2014 and fell in love with Starkville,” shared Glass. “I went to an MSU vs Ole Miss baseball game, and MSU won in 10 innings. There were over 15,000 people there, the second-highest attendance on campus in college baseball history.”
Glass’s education path took a few turns, from PGA Management to eventually finance. His family encouraged him to change schools and move closer to home, since Virginia was 14 hours away, but Glass was hooked on all that Strakville had to offer, especially its sports and entertainment.
“I changed my major in 2014, the year MSU was the number one team in the country with Dak Prescott,” explained Glass. “There was no way I was going to leave. I had also made some of my very best friends, whom I still keep in touch with today.”
Glass never imagined that his childhood dream of working for NASA would come back to him, but a career change into finance opened the door to internship opportunities that led him back to NASA.
“A career in finance is not what people think of when they think of NASA,” shared Glass. “But NASA offered a summer internship opportunity that allowed me to move back home after graduation, and work there, then doors just opened.”
Today, Glass works in Exploration Ground Systems and oversees budget development, project plans, and resource allocation to ensure systems and facilities are fully prepared for the spacecraft’s launch.
When asked if his childhood self would be excited to see where he ended up at NASA, even though it’s not as an astronaut, he chuckled, “Parker five years ago wouldn’t believe he would end up working at NASA, much less childhood Parker. I didn’t have the most direct path, but I’m very fortunate to have all the people around me who have supported me and helped me as mentors along the way.”
Glass no longer calls Starkville, Mississippi, home; he is forever a MSU Bulldog.
“I will be back down for plenty of baseball, especially if we host a regional or Super,” shared Glass. “I will also come to watch the Starkville Derby, and I am a season ticket holder for football. Hail State!”
And for those interested in space exploration, but don’t aspire to be an astronaut, there could be a place for you, too.
“NASA needs everybody,” shared Glass. “Engineering, finance, marketing, accounting, communication, science, math, everyone. So for students looking to start a career with NASA, check out the internship programs, and don’t give up.”
*All photos are courtesy of NASA
