American Rocketry Challenge Scholarship Winner Finds the Future is Looking Up

Adam Jain’s fascination with space started early when he began to understand the “mystery and greatness” of black holes, and it grew exponentially when he realized he could build rockets that powered human exploration of the cosmos.

“What piqued my interest was learning about the Space Shuttle and what happened with Apollo 13,” said Adam (’27), an Aerospace Engineering major. “Seeing the complexity and intricate design that went into every part and made a vessel that could carry humans into the great unknown just blew my mind. It sounds like fiction, that something so crazy and powerful could be built from the ground up.”

Adam is building his career as a rocket scientist the same way, from the ground up. And his quest is getting a boost from a scholarship he earned through his two years as part of the American Rocketry Challenge (ARC) at Morristown High School in his native New Jersey.

What is The American Rocketry Challenge?

The American Rocketry Challenge gives nearly 5,000 high school students in the U.S. the chance to learn by designing, building and launching model rockets, a process that helps solidify their STEM skills and provides hands-on engineering experience.

“It helped me learn more about everything that I wanted to learn about,” Adam said of his ARC experience. “It advanced my skills beyond what I thought would be possible, and I also made great friends and great memories through the club.”

The scholarship from ARC also helped when Adam decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus.

“It gave me the opportunity to come here because I did need a bit of financial help,” he said.

Adam’s lofty academic and career goals first came into focus for him when he started at Morristown High, the same school his mother and her parents attended.

He felt comfortable there right away and began exploring things such as marching band, sports and, of course, the rocket club. After taking engineering electives and joining ARC in his junior year, Adam decided to go all in.

“I got a feeling for what engineering really is,” he said. “I was able to understand how rockets work and what goes into building them.”

That understanding fueled Adam’s growing passion for spaceflight and sparked his desire to learn as much as he could. As he immersed himself in the first project, he decided that he wanted to lead the ARC team one day.

“I asked to shadow some of the seniors on the project,” he said. “At first it was a daunting task trying to keep up with everything, but as I got to know the seniors better, it became easier to ask questions, get answers and be trusted to contribute. The biggest takeaways from my junior year in ARC were getting involved, getting to know others and asking questions.”

One of the high school seniors Adam got to know was Alexander Rocca (’26), who entered Embry-Riddle’s Aerospace Engineering program in 2022 after helping guide Adam in his quest to lead the Morristown High rocket club.

Sure enough, Adam was tapped to serve as president the following year.

“That was really awesome,” he said. “I was nervous going in, but I was able to look back to my previous year for inspiration. I made sure that the groups were running smoothly, and I taught whenever I had the chance. I also got to do more work with the laser cutters and 3D printing, which added to my skill set.”

Adam also learned another lesson that is key for success in any profession: how to handle and bounce back from adversity.

“We didn't qualify [for the national competition], mainly because our rockets kept getting stuck in trees and we'd have to start from scratch every single time,” he said. “But I did learn how to lead a team and run a project.” 

Why Choose Embry-Riddle for Aerospace Engineering?

Adam’s college decision ended up being simple, for several reasons. He had first heard about the school from Deepam Rana (’19), who was a rocket club president at Morristown High in the twenty-teens, earned his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle and is now a Systems Development and Verification Engineer at Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Deepam’s experience, and the fact that Alexander is also now attending Embry-Riddle, pretty much sealed it for Adam.

“There is an esteem that comes with an Embry-Riddle degree,” he said. “The value of your degree and the connections you build are what help you get your dream job, and courses here are designed to help you get prepared for the field.”

The Florida setting didn’t hurt either.

“When I first visited, the campus seemed like a resort, with warm weather, palm trees and amazing architecture,” he said. “It felt so calming and didn't feel like any college campus that I’d been to.”

Teamwork Helps Make His Dream Work

As a freshman, Adam has found plenty of other perks that convinced him he made the right decision, not the least of which is the student community he’s now part of.

“I've already made friends with people who are here to help each other and push each other to be better,” he said. “The students are passionate about what they do, and it makes college easier when you're surrounded by like-minded people striving toward similar goals. It's been pretty great so far.”

Adam has worked hard to launch his dream, and he knows there are many challenges ahead. But he is grateful for the opportunities that have already come his way.

“Working toward a degree where I’ll get to help build rockets that go into space is just so amazing,” he said. “I love being here and I love getting to do what I love and have fun while I’m doing it. I know that I'll be able to make my dreams come true here.”

For anyone else who shares his dream of exploring the final frontier, Adam has some simple advice: “Shoot for the stars, because you never know where you'll end up.”

What stars will you shoot for? Apply at Embry-Riddle today.