“Stay curious, challenged, and courageous.” These were the words Dorothy ‘Dottie’ Metcalf-Lindenburger left with our students, and they won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
The retired NASA astronaut, teacher, and geologist visited Deira International School, and her stories got students talking and asking questions.
Dottie, who flew to space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on April 5, 2010, made a special stop at DIS while touring Dubai. Students from both DIS and Universal American School gathered to meet her, eager to hear what life as an astronaut is really like. And she did not disappoint!
“Wow! Can you believe it? I was a teacher, and then suddenly, I was training alongside space engineers and pilots at NASA!” she told the crowd. She shared how her love for space began as a young girl and how she never let go of that dream.
She also explained how astronauts train for space missions, describing the tough exercises, the weightlessness, and even the food they eat up there. Her message was simple: if you stay curious, work hard, and never stop learning, you can achieve amazing things.
There was a special moment when Dottie met with our NASA HERC students, who are preparing to jet off to Huntsville, Alabama, for the 2025 NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge. She encouraged them to keep pushing forward, sharing how hands-on projects like theirs are exactly what shape the future of space exploration. The students were thrilled to discuss their rover designs with a real astronaut and gain valuable advice from someone who has been to space.
“If you follow your ambitions and never give up, the sky is not the limit,” she told the students, leaving them buzzing with excitement.
One student shared, “Seeing a real astronaut up close made space feel closer than ever, and who knows? Maybe one day, a DIS or UAS student will be the next to reach for the stars!”