For astronaut Leland Melvin, no goal can’t be achieved without hard work, perseverance, and good old-fashioned grit. His life is certainly a testament to that. With an undergraduate degree in Chemistry, a Master’s degree in Materials Science Engineering, a professional football career, a published memoir, leadership roles within NASA, and formidable skills in music and photography, Melvin is a true Renaissance man. However, his pathway to space was his biggest challenge. When a space training exercise damaged his hearing—he never gave up. That “can-do” spirit led to the greatest experience of his life—being an astronaut and living on the International Space Station. Seeing the earth from space provided a potent perspective on our place in the universe and the fragility of the planet. Working side-by-side with astronauts from across the globe, he realized that we are all citizens of one world.

What’s remarkable (on the International Space Station) is to see the diversity of brainpower, of race. All these things happening for the betterment of humankind, not mankind—humankind, which includes everybody.

While Leland Melvin hung up his spacesuit years ago, he has continued to share his experiences to inspire younger generations and promote S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education and careers. He has served as head of NASA Education and co-chair of the White House’s Federal Coordination in S.T.E.M. Education Task Force. He was also the United States representative and chair of the International Space Education Board (I.S.E.B.), a global collaboration on learning about space.

According to Melvin, space travel is about more than just science and technology. His most profound takeaway from international space missions is and will remain his broadened global perspective—“we come together to do these incredible things that are much bigger than our individual selves. It’s not American, it’s not Russian, it’s people, it’s humans in space.”