As an educator in the UAE, I’ve always looked forward to that year when the Emirates HOPE probe lands on Mars -until I was invited to be one of the four UAE-based teachers to join the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy (HESA) program, in cooperation with the United States Space & Rocket Center.

We were proud to be among a group of 200 teachers selected from across 33 countries and 45 states in the US. Since 2004, the HESA program has graduated 2,776 educators from 62 countries and 52 US states and territories, reaching more than three million students.

Teachers had to complete a rigorous application process to be a part of the one-week scholarship program in Alabama, which transpired from June 14 to 27 last year. The program offered teachers a unique opportunity to reignite their passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

We experienced 45 hours of classroom and laboratory instruction focused on science, space exploration, and leadership skills development. The best part about the scholarship included a roundtrip airfare, tuition, meals, and accommodation sponsored by Honeywell.

High-performance jet simulation, scenario-based space mission, coding challenges, land and water survival training, and interactive flight dynamics program were just among the thrilling activities we experienced during the course of the program. Through these exercises, we have learned how to reinvigorate our classroom with ideas, lessons, and other resources.

It was definitely a journey of a lifetime that added a lot to my experience and skills. I was deeply honoured to have met astronauts and NASA professionals during the trip and came home loaded with hundreds of resources and hands-on activities for my students.

The opportunity of meeting and networking with educators from all over the world as we all shared our experiences and most successful practices were by far, the most rewarding above all others. We proudly represented the UAE and our school, the Applied Technology High School (ATHS).