By Gavin Guffey, Guest Writer and Will Coffman, Local and Lifestyle Editor

On August 28th, XU College Democrats and Physics Club welcomed former NASA Press Secretary Lauren Worley to campus, where she spoke to students about her professional journey and hopes for the future.

Both clubs shared a similar vision in what they had hoped the visit would accomplish. Junior physics major Mason Auerbach and Physics club President appreciated the versatility that Worley’s speech brought.

“I think it’s good to see that there is a tie between politics and STEM, especially research and dilemmas,” Auerbach said. “There’s always a correlation between if research can be funded that allows a scientist to be able to do what we want to do.”

Gavin Steele, a Junior Politics, Philosophy, Politics and the Public and Business Analytics major and president of XU College Democrats, concurred with Auerbach regarding how impactful government impact is.

“If someone from Peebles, Ohio, is able to be the NASA Press Secretary, anything is possible,” Steele said.

Worley made public service and government impact a cornerstone of her presentation. Her speech reflected themes of celebrating public service and why serving her community is so important to her.

To emphasize the importance of her work, Worley recounted her visit with former President Barack Obama representing NASA. She, along with other public servants representing various federal agencies, was invited to meet with the president due to her outstanding work in the field.

Public service is not just a job to Worley, but a lifestyle. She believes that her mission to serve is an obligation which she also attributes to her faith.

“I am a huge supporter of public service, and my journey to public service is a direct result of the moral responsibility I feel that I have as a result of my Catholic faith,” Worley said. “That is how I practice my faith.”

Worley believes that it is not only guiding, but necessary, for her work to be faith-driven.

“You can have any job in the world and have that sense of morality about it… but I think it’s imperative to have if you’re in public service, it’s a way to live that commitment, that faith, every single day,” Worley said. 

Worley worked in the Senate, NASA, Ohio Public Schools, Proctor & Gamble and more and is now self-employed at Blue Cardinal Village.

When asked about speaking to a variety of audiences in one room, Worley said that she hopes she can challenge people to think more critically and open their eyes.

“I hope that I say something that inspires them, but I also hope that I say something that challenges them to think in a different way, to maybe even upset them a little bit,” Worley said.

“When we hear someone say something that challenges the way we think, we get a little uncomfortable in our seat, and then we need to say, ‘do I agree with them or not?’ And that’s the whole purpose of being in a collegiate environment,” Worly stated.