An Austin middle school got a rare chance to meet a NASA astronaut up close and personal Tuesday.

KVUE News

Astronaut Joan Higginbotham spent the afternoon at Pearce Middle School trying to send the message to kids that they can live their dreams.

Pearce Middle School is only one of five schools nationwide she'll be visiting. She spent 13 days up in the Space Shuttle Discovery on a mission last December.

She described to the kids what it was like. "It was a ride of a lifetime and if I had one word to describe it... incredible or awesome does not begin to describe how it felt when I went to space," Higginbotham said.

But the real message Higginbotham is trying to teach the kids is aim high.

"It's important to come to the schools and tell the kids they can do whatever they want. There are so many negative reinforcements today... people telling them they can't do this or that. I am here to negate all that to tell them they can do whatever they want," she said.

Throughout her life Higginbotham says people have always told her she couldn't be an astronaut. She says when you run into those run into those people -- prove them wrong.

Students like 7th grader Asia Bolden took to heart what Higginbotham was trying to tell them.

"Now I know that if people tell me I can't be a pediatrician, I can show them that I can do it," Bolden said.