Dinner with a Controversial Man by Monica

Dinner with a Controversial Man by Monica - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

Perhaps many will choose a standard figure such as a previous President of the United States like Lincoln, a renown scientific genius like Einstein, or a deceased family member, However, sometimes one of the most important person to you is not as celebrated.
This person isn't someone I knew I wanted to meet when I was young; rather, he is a man that I had to do a recent project on for a class. I wasn't unaware of his existence prior to this project, but when I chose to research him and did so, I was enlightened much more of his accomplishments and importance to America's future. Sadly, he is not recognized as much anymore for what he's done and what he will do for us. Of course, there's a reason for such: his work is for a very specific industry - one is that catching on popularity again like it was in the 1960's. After the 1960's, the industry was dying down quick after it carried out a promise made to the nation and everyone had started focusing on other promises, such as ending wars.
This man was quite important in reaching the promise. His knowledge in engineering and science, creativity, and innovation was phenomenal. I look up to him because my dream career mirrors his. The job I want is what he had, and he did it so well.
His name was Wernher Von Braun, a spectacular rocket scientist and engineer and former Nazi. His upbringing was in Germany and had an admiration for astronomy and rockets - even though he was not a natural at mathematics or physics. But that's what makes him wonderful because despite his early struggles in schooling, he had managed to become adept in the subjects needed for rocketry and succeeded as a rocket scientist for Nazi Germany. After joining the Nazi Party, Hitler had personally recognized his mastery and planned on using his rockets for military missiles. Although von Braun wished for his work to be used for space exploration, he did not refuse the military.
After Nazi Germany fell, he was escorted to America solely to build rockets. The Cold War was beginning, and the US did not want to fall behind, thus using von Braun's intelligence to send people to the Moon. Being one of the main engineers for rocket technology, he should have been granted much recognition and praise but was not. Just like space exploration, he was left in the dust.
Even though space is still a low priority in the nation, I want to bring it back alive, which leads me to want to dine with Wernher von Braun. The vast knowledge he has about engineering and physics would be amazing to learn from him directly and bring me success for when I become an Aerospace Engineer. With what he knows, we could reunite the country (and others too!) again for a new common goal - Mars.