A Colorado astronaut has returned home after a groundbreaking journey to space in September, where she made history in multiple ways. Sarah Gillis, aboard a Space-X mission, became the first woman to travel further from Earth than any other female astronaut, and she also made history by becoming the first person ever to play the violin in space.
Back on Earth, Gillis returned to her alma mater, Shining Mountain Waldorf School in Boulder, to share her incredible story with a new generation of students.
“When I was a little girl looking up at the stars, I never imagined such an adventure,” Gillis told the students. “So I hope you all might set your dreams a little bigger, because nothing is impossible.”
A decade ago, a young Gillis was voted “Most Likely to Walk on the Sun” in the 2012 yearbook at Shining Mountain. While it was meant as a playful prediction, it turned out to be uncannily close to reality. Just over ten years later, Sarah embarked on her historic journey into space — a dream she first nurtured while walking the school’s halls.
“It’s really here at Shining Mountain that the spark was lit for me,” Gillis reflected during her visit. “This is where it all began.”
Her story is more than just one of reaching for the stars; it’s about believing the impossible is possible. This message of hope and ambition was something Gillis shared with the students she now inspires.
“You each have a light to bring into the world,” she encouraged them. “You can create whatever you want, become whoever you want. You really have the potential to dream big and make it happen.”
One of the most memorable moments of Gillis’s space mission was when she became the first human to play the violin in orbit. Holding a wooden violin in the microgravity environment of the spacecraft, Gillis performed music in space — an experience she called “one of the joys of the mission.”
“It was so special to bring this wooden instrument into a 21st-century spacecraft,” Gillis explained. “Being able to play music up there was something I’ll never forget.”
To honor her remarkable achievement, a photo of Gillis now hangs proudly at the entrance of Shining Mountain Waldorf School, serving as a lasting reminder to all students that they, too, can dream big and reach for the stars.
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