WHEELING, W. Va. - Growing up in Morgantown, West Virginia, Jenna Klemkowsky had dreams of being an astronaut and studying air and space. Little did she know that one day her love of science and math, and her dreams of studying the heavens would take her around the world to pursue that dream.

“I feel like every kid wants to be an astronaut when they grow up,” said Klemkowsky. “I went to space camp through the Challenger Learning Center when I was little, and I feel like that sparked my interest from the beginning. I kind of drifted away from science for a little while, then I decided, ‘you know what, I really want to do this, and I’m going to stick with it.’”

Klemkowsky, a junior physics major and a member of the women’s soccer team, was recently awarded an international research opportunity along side some of the world’s best researchers at the University of Birmingham in England. As an undergraduate, she will study graduate-level gravitational physics at Birmingham’s School of Physics and Astronomy. The University of Birmingham and the University of Florida co-sponsor the prestigious summer-long trip across the pond.

“I feel like it was kind of a dream at first,” said Klemkowsky, reflecting on the moment she first heard the news she’d be traveling overseas to work. “You go around telling everyone: ‘Hey, I’m going to England for the summer,’ but it wasn’t till I started getting more emails from them asking me to fill out forms and telling me to apply for my passport; that’s when I realized it was really happening. I’m really going to do this. I was shocked.”

As one only one of twelve students nation wide selected to the program, WJU Chair of Physics Peter Ehni said she deserves the recognition for all her hard work.

“It makes me feel good to see her succeed,” said Ehni. “She’s the kind of student that typifies Wheeling Jesuit University. She comes from West Virginia, she’s worked hard and now she gets an opportunity to experience the world, which is one of the goals of a WJU education. We are very proud of her.”

Klemkowsky said the opportunity will be the experience of a lifetime, and also prepare her for success as she heads into her senior year at Wheeling Jesuit.

“I’m almost like a sponge. I’m ready to soak up whatever information I can and I’m willing to just go for it and make the experience as fulfilling as possible.”