Amanda Kirka grew up in the country, always looking at the stars, wondering what they actually looked like. Every time they drove at night, she would stare out the window, up at the Moon in awe. She knew from a young age that if she wasn't going to be an astronaut, she wanted to make sure she could spend every day thinking about space. Fast forward a few years and she's in college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), taking her first Astronomy class since 9th grade, and her professor begins to talk about his accomplishments. He studied at Caltech, actively researched the Moon, and was working on publishing the new Mars Atlas with some fellow astronomers. Again, she was in awe. She was once again, inspired to continue on her astronomy journey. Upon graduating from IUP, she found herself in Brockton, Massachusetts with a job teaching Earth and Space Science. For Amanda, the best part about the job was the planetarium! Her goals were starting to come into fruition. She had the opportunity to get a brief training on the planetarium and ran with it! Her classes love the experience, and she loves seeing their reaction for the first time. Not many people can say that their high school has a state-of-the-art planetarium. Once the planetarium director position opens up, she will be able to introduce the elementary schools, middle schools, and community to the excitement under the dome. She still shares her passion for Astronomy beyond the classroom. Any time the opportunity presents itself, she likes to share some "fun facts" with those around her. Her daughter just turned three, and she already knows all about the planets, stars, and what a nebula is! Any time she sees a "galaxy print", she makes sure to correct the person and let them know it's actually a "nebeeyah." Amanda believes that if you are passionate about something, you should share that with others, especially with something as interesting, mysterious, and infinite as our universe. People have looked up to the skies for millennia. It doesn't stop with us...there is so much more out there to learn and discover!