How the stars aligned for one TeenSHARPie

Last month, we published a C# spotlight on Josh: a TeenSHARP student who wrote his college essay on polar aligning a second-hand Celestron telescope. The essay worked; in December 2020, Josh was accepted into Cornell University to study engineering on a full-ride scholarship.

To say the least, TeenSHARP was over the moon—and we wondered what Celestron, the world’s leading telescope maker, would make of Josh’s story. So we submitted a quick note through the company’s website about Josh’s essay, his college acceptance, and his flourishing passion for astrophotography.

Celestron responded within a couple of days.

“Thank you for sharing such an uplifting story about Josh,” wrote Marketing Coordinator Kevin Kawai in a heartfelt note. “Precisely polar aligning a German Equatorial Mount in order to capture deep-sky celestial images is no easy task. It is no surprise the admissions officer at Cornell University was impressed.”

Kevin went on to praise Josh for his achievements, and even graciously shouted-out Josh on Celestron’s social media channels. Josh felt like a star already, and TeenSHARP was thrilled to see him recognized in such a meaningful way.

Then, a package showed up on Josh’s doorstep.

Turns out, the second-hand telescope Josh polar aligned in spring 2020—a gift from his mother, found on Facebook marketplace—was “such an old model,” Kevin Kawai wrote, “it was manufactured before many of us began working at Celestron!” So Celestron gave Josh a little upgrade.

Now, Josh is the proud owner of a totally portable StarSense Explorer, which he can pair with a smart phone to locate celestial objects. He’s also a Celestron Inspiration Award winner; the company sent him a generous, exciting care package that included a certificate to acknowledge his remarkable work getting into Cornell—and getting acquainted with the night sky.

Josh says the situation is out of this world. With a modern telescope he can easily bring to campus, Josh says he’ll now take an astronomy class at Cornell. His family is even taking a special trip in coming weeks to rural Virginia, where they can visit a family farm and stargaze. “I can’t wait to use it to capture more-detailed photos of the objects in our beautiful night sky!” Josh said.

Above all, Josh and the entire TeenSHARP family express our intergalactic gratitude to Celestron for such a thoughtful, warm, and unforgettable experience.