Astronaut Strategies for College Students — A Conversation with Christina Hammock Koch

Astronauts learn psychological strategies that help them stay grounded in space — strategies you can use to survive exam season, build resilience and transform stress into success. Hear firsthand how Christina Koch navigated ambition, doubt and risks throughout college and in pursuit of her dream career. ----- ℹ️ Around the Moon and Pack Again || This event is part of Christina Koch's visit to the NC State campus Aug. 24–25, 2026. Koch holds three degrees from NC State: a B.S. in electrical engineering and physics and an M.S. in electrical engineering. She served as Mission Specialist I of NASA’s Artemis II mission. The crew launched on April 1, 2026 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Alongside fellow NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Koch splashed down April 10, 2026 off the coast of San Diego, completing a nearly 10-day journey that took them around the moon and 252,756 miles from home — the farthest any humans have been from Earth.