On a typical day, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville is home only to some of the greatest aerospace inventions to have ever been created — like a replica model of the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo 16 lunar module to be installed in Limestone County — accompanied by starstruck tourists.

Friday, June 21, was not a typical day. It was a day filled with a few joyous tears due to careers of resilience.

That night the Davidson Center in the U.S. Space & Rocket Center housed some of the most innovative aeronautical minds for their 2024 Space Camp Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The five inductees in the Class of 2024 were Col. Heather Bogstie, Cindy Maher, Kevin Metrocavage, Marie Nickel and Eileen Velez-Vega.

For more than 42 years, since its inception in 1982, Space Camp has trained and inspired more than 1 million young minds from 150 countries to reach for the stars in Rocket City. In 2007, they created the Space Camp Hall of Fame to honor the alumni who have best exemplified the program’s lasting efforts through their careers.

“All of my dreams, and my journey, started here in these halls,” Madison Marsh, the keynote speaker for the event who was crowned Miss America 2024, said. “Back in 2016, I stepped into Space Camp with the burning desire to become an astronaut.”

Marsh, a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and Harvard Kennedy School, a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, and the first active-duty Air Force officer to receive the Miss America title, explained that the lessons she learned at Space Camp, and the lifelong friends she made there, have led her to the skies. She received her pilot’s license at the age of 16 and enrolled into the United States Air Force Academy.

Although her career plans shifted away from the skies, Marsh explained that she still credited the ability to change on the fly to her time with the Space Camp.

“I understood that my dreams were going to change, and that’s OK,” Marsh said. “We all grow, we all change, we just have to find our true passions. Space Camp is where I found the courage to indulge in those true passions.”

Marsh’s sentiments of adaptability and perseverance were symbolized in the careers of the five inductees who joined the elite class of Space Camp alumni.

“I don’t think I would be here without the service of my family and the inspiring catalyst of Space Camp,” Bogstie, a five-time Space Camp alum, said. “This achievement is really a full circle moment for me. What I love about space is that it is for everyone, there is room for everyone here.”

Along with Bogstie, who achieved the title of senior materiel leader for the U.S. Space Force’s Resilient Missile Warning, Tracking and Defense Program, this year’s class has achieved significant accomplishments.

Velez-Vega became the first woman to earn the title of Secretary for the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico in 2021. She was digitally introduced at the event by the governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi.

“Puerto Rico stands proud with you,” Pierluisi said. “As the first Puerto Rican to receive this prestigious recognition, Eileen embodies the talent and contributions that so many American citizens from our island have made in so many important fields.”

Other notable achievements include:

— Bogstie: A five-time Space Camp alumna, former Space Camp counselor, and Senior Materiel Leader for the U.S. Space Force’s Resilient Missile Warning, Tracking, and Defense Program.

— Maher: A Space Camp alumna, former Space Camp counselor, and former Director of Boeing’s University Research & Development Partnerships Program.

— Metrocavage: A two-time Space Camp alumnus and International Space Station Operations Manager at NASA headquarters.

— Nickel: A two-time Space Academy for Educators alumna and dedicated teacher in Manitoba, Canada.

— Velez-Vega: A Space Camp alumna and Secretary/CEO of the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico.