Before she was a science advisor to three U.S. presidents, a NASA scientist, and a vice president of one of the nation’s premier research universities, Dr. Maria Zuber would gaze at the night sky outside her childhood home in Summit Hill, wondering what was going on among the stars.

“I wanted to learn everything I could, and that’s why I became a scientist,” the 1976 Panther Valley alumna said.

On Monday, returning to her alma mater, Zuber gave the 2021 class of Panther Valley graduates advice from her storied career in space exploration.

Zuber’s colleagues at Massachusetts Institute of Technology created an experiment on the Mars Perseverance Rover, appropriately named “MOXIE.” It seeks to turn Mars’ toxic atmosphere into oxygen that can be breathed and used as fuel by future manned missions to the red planet.

Zuber said that the difficult experiences of the Class of 2021 - including but not limited to the pandemic - can be turned into the rocket fuel that will propel them forward in life with a little ‘moxie’.

“Your experiences have made you resilient far beyond your years. My successes didn’t happen from things I worked on that were a little better than expected, they came from how I recovered when things went wrong, sometimes dramatically so,” Zuber said.

Zuber stressed the importance of teamwork. She said the stereotype of a solitary scientist making breakthroughs in a lab is inaccurate. One of the teams that got her to where she is today was the Panther Valley community who supported her.

“None of us is smart enough or strong enough to thrive without our friends, families, teachers and communities,” she said.

She also read a letter from President Joseph Biden, who praised the graduates for their resiliency.

Zuber said that her first time addressing Panther Valley’s commencement - her own, in 1976, her advice for the graduates was forgettable. But she praised the top two students in the Class of 2021 for their advice to their classmates.

In his speech, Valedictorian Jason Lin challenged his classmates to live outside of their comfort zone. Those moments, he said, can often lead to some of life’s most meaningful moments.

“Try something new. Look your fears in their eyes, and then defy them. Divert from the accustomed norm and set ablaze another trail,” Lin said.

He said 2021 was a good example of that. While they were faced with unusual circumstances, the Class of 2021 still did a lot for the community. He reflected on projects with National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America which raised money for local food pantries.

Salutatorian Jacqueline Kokinda reminded classmates that the most important thing on their tombstone isn’t the two dates, but the dash in between them, symbolizing how much they lived life.

The happiest moments they had at Panther Valley - whether they were sports championships, musical performances or the JROTC ball - part of that dash, she said. She encouraged them to continue to make a dash that their loved ones can be proud of, and to include those people in the happiest moments of their lives.

“The most incredible thing about our dash is that we have the power to change it to reflect the person who we want people to remember,” she said.

School administrators addressed the 105 members of the class of 2021 as well.

Superintendent David McAndrew Jr. reminded the students to live in the moment. It was advice he said they could apply to the graduation ceremony itself.

“Soak in as much of tonight as you possibly can, the sights of loved ones, the sounds of applause, the emotions you are feeling, and the pride you have for yourself today,” he said.

Principal Patricia Ebbert shared a piece of advice that she heard a lot growing up as a child in the Panther Valley - “remember who you are.”

She said it means to remember your potential and the people who have put faith in you. It’s especially important when responding to failure or adversity.

Over the last 15 months the Class of 2021 did just that, she said. And so they continue to remember that advice, she had a bracelet with the inscription “remember who you are” placed beneath each graduate’s seat for them to take with them.

“Now, as you venture out into college, the military, trade schools or the workforce, the pathways may be different for everyone, but the message remains the same, ‘Remember who you are’. You are a Panther Valley graduate,” she said.