Mention outer space, and Lindsay Loeffelholz’s casual grin instantly transforms to an exaggerated smile. She never dreamed of using her graphic design ability to aid the space program.

Yet Loeffelholz, 21, of Yukon, is working as a summer intern onsite at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Marshall Space Flight Center on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala.

“I mean, NASA … with graphic design,” she said. “That is almost completely ridiculous. I’d never in a million years guess I’d be here working for NASA at just 21 years old.”

She credits the skills she acquired in the Graphic Design program at Canadian Valley Technology Center’s Graphic Design program. She started the program as a high school senior and completed as a young adult in Spring 2022.

“Mr. (Mark) Pennington (CV Tech’s Graphic Design instructor) has instilled in me skills that will forever be a part of my identity as a designer,” she said. “The resilience, dedication, perseverance, and the always asking question, ‘Why?’”

Her official summer job title is “Payload Development Graphic Design Intern.”

“I am designing graphic charts and data analysis visuals for any specific payload that is going to be used for the Artemis/Gateway projects and beyond,” she said.

NASA’s Artemis program intends to return humans to the moon, and the Gateway will play a key role, serving as an orbiting lunar space station and staging point for deep space exploration. The projects together are intended to support efforts for missions to the planet Mars.

“So, I make pretty looking pie graphs, more detailed versions of lunar surface interaction between payloads and some PowerPoint templates for them to use,” Loeffelholz said. “Outside of the data visualizations, I am also creating patches for the International Space Station crew and other projects of that nature that are more illustrative.”

She said she is thankful to her boyfriend and her family for their encouragement and to God for making the trip to Alabama possible.

“I prayed and prayed that it would happen,” she said. “The day before Christmas Eve, I got an interview. And the next month after that I got an acceptance letter.”

She was selected from a pool of nearly 18,000 applicants nationwide. She’s among an elite group of summer NASA interns comprising less than 1 percent of those who applied.

Loeffelholz said her parents, David and Lisa Loeffelholz, of Yukon, provided prayer support before and during the internship. She also credits the time she invested as a SkillsUSA state officer while a student. SkillsUSA is among four student development and leadership organizations available at CV Tech.

“The soft skills of teamwork, communication, technical skills and even public presentation have set me apart from the crowd at NASA,” she said.

Upon completion of the internship, Loeffelholz plans to return to her job at Clubhouse Trailer Company, of Edmond. She works as a print operator for the company, which supplies marching band trailers for clients nationwide. She dreams of one day giving back by becoming a graphic design instructor.

“To me, graphic design is a puzzle made up of pixels and emotion,” she said. “It isn’t just about looks—it’s communication and empathy. It’s understanding how to speak visually to connect with people.”

Graphic Design is among dozens of full-time program options for high school and adult students at CV Tech. It is available at the school’s Chickasha and El Reno campuses.