Sunita Williams, a NASA astronaut since 1998, will visit with students from The Presentation School, Sassarini Elementary School, Altimira Middle School, and Woodland Star Charter School on Monday, Dec. 7, 2009.
Williams will participate as the guest speaker during special assemblies as she shares her personal story of becoming an astronaut, and relate her spaceflight experience from her seven-month tour of duty on the International Space Station. Williams holds a record – 195 days – for women astronauts in space. A Q & A session for students is scheduled at the conclusion of each of her presentations.
“We are thrilled to have Suni Williams visit our campus and community,” said Nancy Waarich-Fischman, director of The Presentation School. “This is a great honor and we know that students of all ages are looking forward to hearing about her experiences.”
Sonoma Valley Unified School District Superintendent Pamela Martens said, “We are very excited about providing our students with the opportunity to interact with such an exceptional role model.”
Sunita Williams, was born in Ohio, but considers Needham, Massachusetts to be her hometown. She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Florida Institute of Technology. Initially trained as a helicopter pilot, she completed Naval Test Pilot School, and has logged over 2,770 hours in more than 30 different aircraft. As a NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations crewmember she lived underwater in the Aquarius habitat for nine days. Williams currently serves as deputy chief, astronaut office for NASA.
Williams has been awarded the Navy Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and various other service awards.
The appearances are sponsored by The Presentation School and Sonoma Valley Unified School District.
