You might know Garrett Reisman as a NASA astronaut who flew on all three Space Shuttles, spending a cumulative 107 days in space and performing three spacewalks. You might also recognize him as an executive at SpaceX, where he helped Elon Musk prepare to send people into space on the Crew Dragon Spacecraft and the Falcon 9 Rocket.  

Garrett credits his teachers—from Parsippany, New Jersey’s public schools to Caltech—with his success. In high school, physics teacher Gerard Vandervoort instilled in him a love of science, and wrestling coach Gary Vittorio taught him the meaning of dedication and hard work. At the University of Pennsylvania, professors Joe Bordogna and Bill Hamilton were “the best mentors a student could ask for,” Garrett says. 

Then it was on to Caltech, where he enjoyed the “great fortune” of having Chris Brennen as his PhD thesis advisor. Says Garrett, “There is no way I would have made it to the launch pad without all of these amazing teachers, coaches and professors.”