Mr. Jared Isaacman wears many hats. He's the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a visionary philanthropist, a seasoned pilot, a soon-to-be space explorer, and a dad to Moravian Academy students Liv '34 and Mila '32. On April 6, 2021, he visited Moravian Academy and presented assemblies for our curious students about Inspiration4, the first all-civilian space mission that he is leading. 

In September 2021, Isaacman and the crew aboard the Dragon SpaceX rocket will take the adventure of a lifetime, paving the way for future civilian air travel.

"Only a little bit more than 500 people have ever been to outer space, and that's not a lot. When you think about the billions of people that live on the earth, you actually have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than having a chance to go to space," he told students.

"It shouldn't be that way because space should be for everyone. And this is kind of the next great place where we're going to go out and and explore."

Our students who were as curious as always came prepared with questions, which we're grateful to Mr. Isaacman for answering. In fact, he remembers how it was his own curiosity as a young learner that ignited his passion for outer space.

"My first memory and dream of going to outer space actually happened when I was in kindergarten [...] and I still remember the school library today. I remember exactly where the book is on the shelf, which had pictures of the space shuttle [...] I remember looking at those pictures and thinking, 'Wow, this is really cool. I would love to do that someday.' I actually told my kindergarten teacher that I think someday I'm going to go in outer space. And she said, well, I'll be watching someday in my rocking chair when you do. And now she might get to do that."

Thank you, Mr. Isaacman, for indulging our many curiosities about space exploration and sharing your passions with us. We wish you the best of luck as you and your crew continue to train for your upcoming mission.