When Aimee-Nicole Torres was returning from an eight-hour trip all she wanted was sleep, yet she couldn’t bring herself to do so as she looked out the window and saw a mysterious strike of red and blue light that sparked the entire sky for her. These luminous flashes of light were stars that later would become the reason for her passion towards space.

“The concept of an outer-world beyond our true knowledge is captivating to me,” Torres said. “The fact that the mystery will never end is amazing to me; I can be 108 years old and still have the desire to lay under the stars.”

For Torres the darkness in the sky holds the chilliest feeling, and the realization that we are not the only planet with living necessities is fascinating as well as terrifying. The depth of secrets held in the universe can make a person want to run and hide.

“As much as I love space and all it comes with, it still spooks me knowing I will never truly know what lies ahead,” Torres said, “or if there even is an ‘ahead’ to go and search for. The whole thing is crazy, like ‘oh yeah, hey there’s a black hole near the 20^th planet.’”

Torres was a rare child; she chose books that depicted the various concepts of space, rather than playing freeze tag alongside children like most kids do.

“When I was younger, I used to always only check out books depicting space, the ugly creatures found, and aliens, “Torres said. “I was the geekiest child. Add a fresh pair of glasses and short hair; I was not exactly your ‘it girl,’ but my weirdness only helped me connect with what I read.”

The placid moments people struggle to seek, Aimee-Nicole can find by simply staring up into the sky and relaxing. She hopes one day to be able to visit the N.A.S.A base. She plans on being an astronomer to help others understand what truly is going on in space.