Shadle senior’s goal to work with NASA

Seventeen-year-old James Pallardy is building a mission to Mars. Well, sort of. On July 20, Pallardy will spend a one-week residency at the Seattle Museum of Flight, working alongside NASA scientists and engineers.

To earn a spot in the summer residency, he had to write 10 essays, take math quizzes and tests and design graphics – all of these about space – meeting the requirements of Washington Aerospace Scholars. During his stay, he will compete in hands-on engineering challenges and build a “theoretical” mission to Mars.

Pallardy has been an “engineer” since he was about 4. “I always loved putting stuff together, seeing how things work,” Pallardy said.

But, he doesn’t just build things. Pallardy will be a senior at Shadle Park High School and plays soccer and runs cross country. In the fall, he will earn his senior varsity letter.

He is also the student body vice president and holds a 4.0 grade-point average. He is a member of the Science Olympiad and the Science Bowl and helped take the Olympiad team to state for Shadle.

When he’s not at school, Pallardy enjoys snowboarding and playing the guitar. He also works about 25 hours a week at Maggie Moo’s.

Pallardy’s future might not include an actual mission to Mars – right away. But, he does know where his future is headed. He said his goal is to work with NASA in mechanical engineering. He’s looking at engineering programs at the University of Washington, Montana State University, Seattle University and Portland University, depending on scholarships. Then, Pallardy said he’ll get his master’s degree in aerospace and his doctorate in aerospace theory.

He is the son of Mike and Heidi Pallardy of Spokane. He has an older sister, a speech pathology major at Eastern Washington University. “I help her with her math and she proofreads my papers,” Pallardy said.