This is the future kids want
Earlier this year, I went to Career Day at my older kid's school. The experience was sometimes humbling — at an elementary school career fair, no one can compete with the firefighters — but it was also incredibly joyful. Hearing from kids about what they want to be when they grow up can be a balm for anxious times.
Adults may be fearful for the future, kids are still dreaming and planning, figuring out the place they're going to inhabit in a world that's constantly changing. Yes, kids today will come of age in a time of climate change, war, and democratic backsliding — but they're also going to create new art, invent new technologies, and pioneer new policies that will make the world better and richer in ways we can't even imagine yet.
With all this in mind, I asked a few kids — including some of the Scholastic Kid Reporters who have helped me out in the past — to tell me what they want to be when they grow up, and what changes they hope to see in the world. A selection of their responses, which have been condensed and edited, are below. If the kids in your life would like to weigh in too, you can reach me at anna.north@vox.com.
I want to be a gymnastics teacher. I want to get married and have kids, maybe five. I want to go to France. I want to do ballet in France.
I want to do anything I want. I want more kittens on the planet. I want everyone to have their own house with their own family. I want self-driving lawnmowers. I don't want people to eat chickens, who should be treated like a princess.
—Mairead, age 8
During Covid, our math and science teacher would show us these videos about space. Those videos really inspired me. The idea that there might be life other than planet Earth was just really cool to me. Our universe is so big, there's so many places to explore, so many new things to learn.
[As a Scholastic Kid Reporter, I wrote a story] about the total solar eclipse. I remember interviewing Mr. James Tralie. That was really cool, because he worked at NASA, but he was also an animator, and I also love art and drawing. From that experience, I learned being part of NASA and learning about space is not only about being a scientist or being an engineer, it's also about doing art, doing music, and just doing what you truly love related to space.
When I was younger, I loved playing with Legos. I love building new things. I've learned a lot about being an aerospace technician or an engineer: building rockets, fixing issues related to space technology. I also love exploring. So being an astronomer is one of my dreams.
I just don't think it makes sense that there's only one planet in our entire universe where there's life. I hope to find life on other planets in the future.
—Aiden, age 13
I want to be a teacher because I see in my class a lot of different faces and colors of everyone, and I think it's going to be important to help other people grow like I grow in my school.
In my class, I have people who are shy, people who need extra help, and people who are really smart, so I feel like getting education for everybody to reach the same [level] is going to be hard.
—Kimaaya, age 8
I would like to taxidermy a lamprey eel.
—Eleanor, age 6
Interviewing ukulelist James Hill as a Scholastic Kid Reporter and talking to him about music showed me that there are many different ways to play an instrument. On his ukulele, he doesn't just play a couple of chords — he makes creative musical sounds, even drumbeats. Talking with him inspired me to become a performer on the ukulele and guitar.
Not to brag, but I feel like I'm very skilled with ukulele. I feel like if someone gave me a sheet of music, I could learn it and play it for them maybe the next day perfectly.
My biggest goal is to experiment more with the notes and strings, learn some more tricks on it, and maybe someday make my own album.
—Owen, age 12
I want to do research in politics or economics that could bring about real changes in our world.
Growing up during the Covid pandemic, we were all stuck online. I was seeing a lot of stuff about the Black Lives Matter movement, lots of Instagram stuff about LGBT rights, there was the Trump administration, and it really got me curious about politics and social justice.
I'm from Hong Kong as well, and in 2019 there were the protests that occurred about democracy. I'm really obsessed with the idea of preserving democracy, so I think that just pushed me further into reading more about politics.
I think you could use the quantitative bit of economics and tie it into the qualitative bit of politics, and use data, like observing patterns and everything, and apply that to something that could cause change in the world. I think I would be studying politics and economics so that I could keep both doors open, depending on what I want to pursue in the future. Because I'm still 17. I'm not set yet, but I think both of these paths offer me the education, the knowledge to potentially bring impact.
—Macy, age 17
Watching the Olympics, hearing about doing archery, and seeing pictures [inspired me to want to be an Olympic archer]. Last year, I started saving up for an archery bow, and now I have one. We go to archery club every Sunday.
[I also want to be] a bat scientist. A few days ago, we went on a bat watch in the middle of the night. Have you heard of something called a bat detector? It's a little device, and it can intercept different kinds of bat calls with this little dial, and you turn it [to] different levels, and you can listen for bats. We were at this wood cabin, and there was a big light for the bugs, and the bats would quickly go for them. So we didn't really see them clearly, but we heard them very loud.
[I want to] study about bats: what they eat, what size they are, and where they like to go and everything.
—Flower, age 8
Your mom says you want to be an owl scientist. What makes you want to study owls?
They're so pretty.
What's your favorite owl?
Snow owl.
What do owls eat?
Mice, rabbits, bugs, bats. … If I have a pet owl, and Flower has a pet bat… [trails off]
—Tabby, age 4, Flower's sister
A 4-year-old girl came to the US legally in 2023 to get treatment for a severe medical condition called short bowel syndrome. Now her family's legal status has been terminated, and she could die without access to care.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop recommending routine Covid vaccines for healthy children, part of a series of policy changes that could mean kids can't access the shots, even if their families want them.
Kids with autism can be at heightened risk of drowning, and traditional swim classes aren't always accessible to them. Now some nonprofits are stepping in to help.
My older kid and I have been reading Hooky, a graphic novel about twin witches who miss the school bus one day and become embroiled in a variety of hijinks. Fair warning: Hooky was originally serialized and there is a lot going on. I have repeatedly had to admit to my kid that I am confused.
This week I was on one of my favorite parenting podcasts, The Longest Shortest Time, talking about my experience getting a salpingectomy, a form of permanent birth control that can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer. You can listen here!
Two weeks ago, I wrote about 'dry texting' and how teens use their phones to avoid in-person conflict with one another. Young people had a lot to tell me about this phenomenon, more than I could include in the original story. So I wanted to share what Gracelynn, age 12 and a Scholastic Kid Reporter, told me in an email:
Gracelynn said online arguments can be more complex than in-person confrontation because 'when you are chatting online, they could copy and paste the text or media image and use it against you.' With in-person arguments, it's also easier for adults to overhear and intervene. Gracelynn also noted that even though her school uses GoGuardian software to keep kids off certain websites during the day, 'they still manage to pull off crazy things.'
Thank you again to Gracelynn and everyone who talked to me for that story, and as always, you can reach me with comments or questions at anna.north@vox.com.
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He said it's become clear that all Trump appointees are being assessed on loyalty. "These nominations -- just finding the right person, vetting them, all that jazz, usually takes a couple of months," said Guenther. "I would suspect we have a little bit longer to go." Guenther believes how long may depend, in part, on how well Duffy can handle running both NASA and the Department of Transportation. If he is successful, there could be less of a rush to get someone to NASA more quickly. How soon might NASA get a permanent administrator? There are multiple ways the next few months could play out. Guenther expects the whole process of assessing the situation and interviewing candidates to extend over the next few months. Then after a candidate is identified, there comes the Senate nomination process and vote, which can take time as was seen with Isaacman. For him, that lasted from January until his nomination was dropped in late May. "Once you get the nomination, you have to schedule the hearing and confirmation vote," said Logsdon. "It's a time consuming process." Guenther said she'd be surprised to see a confirmed administrator on the job this calendar year. She noted that may be a pessimistic way to look at it. One thing that could speed it up is if there had been another previously vetted candidate waiting in the wings even while Isaacman was proceeding through the nomination process. But it's not clear if such a candidate exists. "I think it's clear from the way Isaacman's nomination was pulled, there is a desire for loyalty − someone who is a strong proponent of the budget proposal that President Trump put forward," said Guenther. A White House budget proposal put NASA's annual budget as $18.8 billion beginning in 2026, down from the $24.8 billion this current year. The proposal includes massive cuts to science missions. Space Science will see a cut of $2.2 billion while Earth Science is set to see a $1.1 billion cut. Recently, U.S. Senate and House members approved appropriations bills which would keep NASA's annual budget at $24.9 billion. The White House proposal had also called for an end to NASA's SLS after the Artemis III moon landing in favor of commercial alternatives − however, the "big, beautiful bill" signed by Trump now allows for the Artemis IV and V missions. While it's not clear exactly what demands the administration wants from the next NASA leader, Guenther believes the candidate must be an advocate for commercial space. This means bringing in more of the private sector for NASA contracts. Logsdon said it's possible that Duffy could just assume both the Transportation and NASA jobs permanently. "He's just not confirmed as NASA Administrator, but he's been confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of Transportation, so I do not think they need to go through another hearing nomination, hearing confirmation. He's already there," said Logsdon. Should Duffy be picked to run both NASA and the Department of Transportation, the process could be expedited -- and, Logsdon said, it made sense that Petro was replaced. "If the Trump White House wanted to put Duffy in as administrator, and dual him with transportation, then Petro had to go," said Logsdon. Looking back in history: Waits for NASA leaders It's not unheard of for the space agency to be without a permanent leader for some time. Sean O'Keefe wasn't sworn in as NASA administrator until December 2001, 11 months after George W. Bush took office during his first term. Fred Gregory served as acting administrator during the wait. Gregory was then sworn in as deputy administrator. Looking back further, Richard Truly was not sworn in as NASA administrator until July 1989, serving under George H.W. Bush. "There's not one clear pattern," said Logsdon. "There have been several past instances where the nomination came in late." The best example of the nomination coming in late is James Beggs, who was nominated by President Reagan in June 1981. Six months after Reagan took office, Beggs was sworn in as NASA Administrator one month later. For now, it remains to be seen how long that wait will be during this second Trump administration. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at bedwards@ or on X: @brookeofstars. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: NASA still without a permanent administrator. Here's what could happen.
