My grandfather inspired my passion for the night sky. His hands reached toward stars as if to pull them down as a gift to me, a young child. I dreamed of voyaging space as an astronaut, and becoming a jet pilot to gain the needed skills. But my eyesight didn't meet the requisites. I thought I'd lost the stars. In search of plan B, I travelled. I saw injustices in the world and studied international development. I realized how my career in humanitarian aid had been influenced by my grandfather. He revealed a world that, when seen from orbit, is borderless. Yet we don't treat it as such. I am now a public speaker sharing humanitarian efforts with youth and use space travel for perspective. The colours we draw on a map are imaginary and, in its heavenly context, our small world is fragile. When I speak, I want to share firsthand experience from space; reminding us to reach across borders, and how any dream, even one that seemed impossible, can become reality. nobordersfromorbit.com
by Matthew Cimone