Joy Sokoya selected to represent the UK at the International Finals at NASA!
We are incredibly proud to share the phenomenal achievements of our Sixth Form Physics students, who recently competed at the prestigious UK Space Design Competition National Finals, held at Imperial College London.
WHAT is the UK space design competition?
The UKSDC is part of a global family of SDC partners running events across Africa, America (North and South), Asia, Australia, Canada, and Europe! These competitions culminate in the International Space Settlement Design Competition in July and a select team of 12 students from the winning UKSDC company are invited to compete.
Those who qualify for the ISSDC are sponsored to travel to the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral in Florida for the competition. This trip normally involves a couple of days of spectacular space sightseeing in a location that has been the home of human spaceflight for over 50 years!
Find out more here.
From Regional Success to National Champions
Earlier this year, three of our A-level Physics students — Joy Sokoya, Haoren Ma, and Romeo Rivera — secured their place at the National Finals after excelling at the North West Regional Heat, hosted by the University of Liverpool.
At the Nationals, they joined forces with students from across the country as part of Olympus Mons Trading Company (OMTC), one of four large teams tasked with designing an ambitious mining settlement in the Asteroid Belt, set in the year 2075. This challenge called for creativity, scientific expertise, and exceptional teamwork.
A Weekend of Hard Work and Dedication
The competition was intense. Over two days, the teams worked tirelessly from early morning to late at night, with some students continuing through the night to perfect their designs.
Their efforts culminated in a 30-slide professional presentation, delivered to a panel of expert judges from industry and academia. Our students rose to the challenge brilliantly. OMTC, the first team to present, delivered with confidence and clarity, handling the judges’ questions with poise.
After a tough deliberation, the judges announced that OMTC were the winners of the entire competition! Joy, Haoren, and Romeo returned to North Liverpool Academy proudly wearing their gold medals and carrying their certificates, marking a tremendous achievement for our school.
An Out-Of-This-World Opportunity
Adding to the excitement, talent scouts at the competition were closely watching for exceptional individuals to represent the UK at the International Space Design Competition, held this summer at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA.
Despite the large and highly competitive field, Joy Sokoya’s quiet brilliance, leadership, and determination shone through. We are thrilled to announce that Joy has been selected as one of only 12 students in the UK’s first-choice team to compete at NASA in July!
This is a remarkable opportunity for Joy, and we are all absolutely delighted for her. She has worked incredibly hard throughout this journey, and her success is a shining example of what passion and perseverance can achieve.
Joy’s leadership has been evident from the start. At the Regional Heat, she was elected President of our team, Kepler Automation, leading her peers in designing a manufacturing facility for Mars. She introduced and summarised the team’s proposal with great confidence, while Romeo Rivera and Kamil Wisniewski also stood out with their impressive contributions, earning special recognition from the judges.
Congratulations to all students
We are incredibly proud of all our students who took part in the UK Space Design Competition. They have represented North Liverpool Academy with pride, skill, and determination.
As Joy prepares for her once-in-a-lifetime experience at NASA, we wish her every success. We look forward to welcoming her back to NLA next year to hear all about her incredible journey — and to inspire future scientists and engineers within our school community!
Congratulations once again to Joy, Haoren, Romeo, and all our talented students — your hard work and achievements have made us all extremely proud.