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"Captain Kirk may not have had Mr. Spock with him in space Wednesday, but he did have an alumna from Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville. \"I am so excited for her. This is everything she’s ever wanted. A dream come true,\" said Julie Gilless, a 1994 graduate.It’s not every day your best friend launches into space. That's why Gilless had one of the best seats in the house at a watch party at Mount de Sales, where staff and fellow alumna watched as Audrey Powers, the 1994 valedictorian, boldly went where no one has ever gone before with \"Star Trek’s\" own William Shatner.Powers is Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations, but she got her early start at Mount De Sales. An athlete and member of the astronomy club, friends remember her as driven and loyal with an incredible work ethic and character.\"That’s something that I can share with our current students, that their sailor sister, how inspiring she is because of her accomplishments. Sure, so amazing because she’s brilliant, but really also because she also had that character piece, which is even more of an honor,\" said Angela Romeo, director of the Fine Arts Department.\"Opportunity for Audrey, but it’s a great opportunity for us to show role models like her for our students to see and to aspire to,\" said Sister Mary Raymond, principal of Mount de Sales.Excited and so proud, Gilless said it’s always been Powers' dream to send civilians into space. A new frontier to explore, showing future generations with enough fortitude, you, too, can live long and prosper.\"Just having the strength and the perseverance to follow your heart, follow your dream and know that that you can achieve it,\" Gilless said.​"
<https://www.wbaltv.com/article/mount-de-sales-alumna-audrey-powers-space-blue-origin/37950264>