Meet Kevin J DeBruin: Space Educator, Former NASA Rocket Scientist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin J DeBruin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin J, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
While designing spaceships I really fell in love with the public outreach I was doing, like going to schools and teaching kids about space exploration. I started to enjoy it more than my full time job and saw the importance of entertaining education for our youth. I started to wonder if I could do my space education full time to increase the impact of my passion and also be able to pay my bills. Turns out I can and being able to solely focus on creating entertaining education content gives me the most joy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I create and host entertaining educational videos about space exploration and its importance to us here on Earth. I break down the complex concepts, such as rocket science, into language and examples that we can all understand. I literally bring space down to Earth with fun props and experiments. I never thought I would quit my 10-year old self dream job of designing spaceships for NASA, especially since my journey was so tough.

It took my three years and over 150 applications to get my first NASA internship. Then Georgia Tech rejected my application to grad school, only to give me a full ride scholarship and stipend to research a few weeks later. Towards the end of grad school, I went through three rounds of interviews with NASA JPL only not to be given the job. I graduated without a fulltime job and was able to get a 10-week internship to prove to them I belong. During that time I set up more than 30 interviews and at the end of it, I become a full time NASA Rocket Scientist.

I overcame these challenges with the support of my mom, family, friends, and always going back to my inspiration of watching the movie October Sky. I saw that at 10-years old and knew I wanted to work for NASA. When it got tough, I rewatched the movie. I really learned that “No” doesn’t exist. “No” means “not this way, not right now”, which made me take a step back and see how else I could approach the situation. You never lose, you wither win or you learn.

What I want the world to know is that if you believe in yourself and you’re willing to put in the work, you can make anything happen. Chase your goals and turn your dreams into reality. With my Space Education, I want people to be excited about space, to know their place in our Cosmos, to understand its importance. We’re all just passengers together on spaceship Earth.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I grew up in Wisconsin, so when my friends and family come out we definitely hit the tourist stops of the Hollywood Sign, Universal, Disneyland, & Santa Monica Pier. But then we get to the local side of things heading to Point Dume in Malibu for a group workout, climb, and beach day, grab some donuts at Donut Friend in Highland Park, and go hiking in the mountains. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my mother. She’s been my strongest supporter and biggest fan through all of my life. When I told my mom I was quitting NASA, she supported and trusted that I had the know how to make it work.

Website: www.kevinjdebruin.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kevinjdebruin

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kevindebruin2589

Twitter: www.twitter.com/rocketdebruin

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kevinjdebruinNASA

Youtube: www.youtube.com/APlaceCalledSpace