Not many people can say they have a satellite named after them, so 11-year-old Kimberley Camilleri was over the moon when she found out her name would grace the skies.
I drew the rays of the satellite hitting the earth, where there are problems, so it would get a message
“When I received the letter from the European Commission telling me I had won the competition I was really happy. Now there will be a satellite called Kimberley… I’m overjoyed… This happens once in a lifetime,” the soft-spoken student said.
Kimberley was the Maltese winner, out of 131 entries, of the Galileo drawing competition entitled Space and Aeronautics, launched by the European Commission last September.
The winners, one from each of the 27 EU member states, will have a Galileo programme satellite named after them and launched into space. Galileo will provide a highly accurate positioning service and will enhance Europe’s technological independence.
Kimberley, a Form 1 student at St Monica School in Gżira, likes entering competitions.
She found out about the Galileo competition during the summer holidays. She was on the beach when she saw an advert in the newspaper inviting children to participate.
“I decided to take part… I like drawing and I like taking part in competitions,” the young high-flyer said.
The competition gave her the opportunity to better explore one of her favourite subjects – science – and her passion for drawing.
“I like everything in science. I find it very interesting,” she said adding that she also liked English and wanted to be an author when she grew up. In fact, last year, she came third in a national story writing competition among primary school students.
When it comes to drawing, she likes coming up with pictures from her imagination. So what inspired her this time?
“First, I did some sketching in pencil. Then I got my idea to draw the picture. I drew the background with stars and then I drew the earth. On the earth I showed some problems like a forest fire and some people drowning. Then I drew the satellite.
“I decided to include the Galileo logo and a smiley face on the satellite. I drew the rays of the satellite hitting the earth, where there are problems, so it would get a message,” she explained enthusiastically.
Kimberley’s drawing eventually caught the eye of the national jury who picked her as the winner. This included Angelo Chetcuti, of the European Commission Representation in Malta, Ian Busuttil Naudi, presenter of weekly TV programme Gadgets, and Tony Tanti of the Malta Society of Astronomy.
Kimberley has a message to share with other students as she wants to encourage them to enter competitions: “Maybe you might not win but, at least, take part,” she said, quickly adding that one never knows what the universe has in store.