Thea Venkova, a student from the 2nd Secondary School "Acad. Emilian Stanev" in Sofia, has earned the prestigious "Right Stuff" award at Space Camp Türkiye. This accolade, named in honor of the camp's founder Kaya Tuncer, recognizes a student who exhibits the qualities of a future space explorer.

Venkova stood out among 159 participants from three countries. Her achievement highlights her exceptional training as a Center for Creative Learning Fellow.

Space Camp Türkiye, located in Izmir and modeled after NASA’s facilities, saw participation from 79 Bulgarian children last week, with some receiving full or partial scholarships. This summer, the camp is set to host a total of 200 Bulgarians.

In addition to individual success, Bulgarian students made significant contributions in three of the four team awards. They excelled in categories related to mission performance for creating a Mars colony and designing the best team mission emblem, according to the Center for Creative Education.

Modeled after NASA’s training programs, Space Camp Türkiye features a range of facilities including the Aurora and Discovery centers, astronaut simulators, control rooms, and laboratories. The camp, along with its counterpart in Alabama, USA, is one of two space training centers in the world inspired by NASA’s methodologies.