Yesterday, the Scitech Planetarium became the backdrop for something remarkable. Over 150 students, teachers, and parents gathered for A Conversation with Jaxon Liebeck; an event that brought one of Western Australia's most extraordinary stories home.

Jaxon Liebeck grew up on a farm near Pemberton and attended Manjimup Senior High School. In 2024, he made history as Flight Director for the world's first commercial lunar landing, leading the mission for Firefly Aerospace. Last week, he came back to share that journey with young West Australians.

In partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Australia, Scitech, and AROSE, the Fogarty Foundation brought Jaxon to the Scitech Planetarium to do something simple but powerful: show students that a career in space isn't a distant dream - it's a real possibility, and someone who grew up just like them is living proof.

For the students in that room, this wasn't an abstract story about science or ambition. It was a direct line between where they are now and where they could go. Jaxon attended a school like theirs, grew up in a community like theirs, and went on to direct humanity's first commercial mission to the surface of the moon.

That kind of connection matters. Raising aspirations isn't just about telling young people the sky is the limit, it's about showing them someone who started where they are and got there. That future-focused mindset is at the heart of everything the Fogarty Foundation does.

Our thanks go to everyone who attended, and to our collaborators, the U.S. Embassy in Australia, Scitech, and AROSE, for helping make this event possible.