LCPS STEM Coordinator selected for NASA leadership program
As a child, Dr. Stephanie Harrell dreamed of becoming an astronaut. She vividly remembers watching shuttle launches on television, and later, in person.
“I loved watching shuttles take off,” Harrell said. “It brings tears to my eyes when I see it, because it’s just so remarkable when you sit there and think about how small you are in a huge universe, and all the things that have to happen to put people or objects into space.”
Now, Harrell, the STEM Coordinator for Lenoir County Public Schools, is one of only 15 educators statewide selected for the 2025–26 NC Space Education Ambassadors program, a NASA-affiliated initiative housed at NC State University through the NC Space Grant.
“This partnership brings the information that NASA has regarding space science, as well as Earth science, into the classroom and matches it up with our North Carolina state standards,” she explained.
The year-long ambassador program provides educators with access to NASA resources, training from space science experts, and a toolkit of curriculum-aligned materials. Ambassadors are also expected to complete two outreach efforts, one for fellow educators and one for their community, to help spread excitement about STEM opportunities.
“We’re really trying to reach kids and get them excited about science, but also educate teachers and the community about what’s out there.”
Harrell had to apply for the opportunity, submitting details about her teaching experience along with short-answer responses outlining how she planned to implement what she learned. When she found out she’d been accepted, she didn’t hold back her excitement.
“I was in a meeting, and I just kind of interrupted the meeting to announce it to everybody,” she said, laughing.
Now entering her 27th year in education and nearly her third as STEM Coordinator for LCPS, Harrell sees a natural connection between space science and the opportunities already rooted in Lenoir County.
“It’s particularly interesting because we have such a huge aviation program with Lenoir Community College,, and we have the Global TransPark, and we have this huge runway that’s used for numerous things,” she said. “That little part of our community ties into the bigger universe.”
Harrell hopes the program will help students see science as a path they can follow: one that starts close to home but leads as far as their imagination will take them.
“This helps me make kids, number one, aware of all the things that are happening, all the things around us,” she said. “It works with getting them interested and excited to maybe pursue a career in aviation, or Earth science, or anything that stems from their curiosity.”
Harrell has spent 17 of her 26 years in education working in Lenoir County and remains passionate about expanding opportunities for students in rural schools. With the launch of this new ambassador role, she’s looking forward to what lies ahead.
“I’m very excited to learn even more.”
Other members of Crew 5 include:
April Brady (Cumberland County Schools), Mikaela Brown (Eastern NC School for the Deaf), Jessica Cash (Cabarrus County Schools), Colleen Graham (Wayne County Public Schools), Candice Haynes (Surry County Schools), Bryan Holley (Halifax County Schools), Stephanie Jeffries (Orange County Schools), Rick Lage (Camden County Schools), Emily Lahr (Greene County Schools), Milton Lima, Jr. (Vance County Schools), Dianne Ripollone (Cardinal Gibbons High School), Rustina Sharpe (Durham Public Schools), Julia Smajdek (Cumberland County Schools), Robin Smith (Watauga County Schools)
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