Involved in an Admired Job. Looking Back on a Year of Repeated Challenges.

This is the 23rd interview with a member, Ms. Fukushima, who has been involved as an intern since April 2022. She is currently a senior at university studying in the field of earth sciences. Here she looked back on her year as an intern.

-Why did you join WARPSPACE?

I have always loved astronomy and the stars since I was a child, and have always wanted to work in a job related to space in the future. In February 2022, I participated in a job-hunting event that focused on companies in the space industry and met WARPSPACE for the first time. While most information on space-related companies is very formal, I was impressed by the very stylish and cool design of the WARPSPACE introductory flyer I received at the event, which made me wonder “What is going to happen now?”.

-You met WARPSPACE in February and started your internship in April. That’s quick!!

I felt that the people working at WARPSPACE seemed to be excited and interested, which was a deciding point for me, through the exhibition and interaction. There were many things I didn’t know about what WARPSPACE had been doing and what it would be doing in the future, but strangely enough, I had no worries. I was just excited to be able to work with such wonderful people!

-What kind of work are you involved in as an intern?

I am mainly in charge of PR-related work, such as managing the articles on note and Medium that you are reading now and translating them into English.

-Are you currently a college student in a remote area, or are you working remotely as an intern?

Yes, 98% of my work was done remotely. I’ve never been to the office!

-Not even once!?

-It must be tough to catch up in that working style.

Although I was not able to visit the office due to commuting time, I was able to communicate a lot with the BizDev members and others who cared about me daily. Thanks to their efforts to create an atmosphere in which it was easy to talk with them, I think I could work in a state where the disadvantages of remote working were successfully eliminated. Still, I hope to go to the office at least once before I graduate!

-How do you feel looking back on your year?

In the first six months, there were many things I didn’t understand, things I had trouble with, and very difficult things. I was buried in the tasks that came before me and often lost sight of what I was doing and what purpose I was trying to achieve. Even so, I decided to do something that would lead to my career and future, and I think that I have been able to keep taking on challenges without giving up so far.

At the beginning of my internship, I sometimes felt frustrated by my lack of skills. As a person responsible for public relations, I demanded correctness and accuracy down to the smallest detail of articles when dealing with something outside the company. It was also important for me to focus on the schedule. I always try to remember what Mr. Kunii told me, “God is in the details.” Sometimes I inevitably see a gap between my ideal and my current state, get depressed, and then challenge myself again, repeating the process.

-It must have been a tough job. What were some of the times when you felt you had grown?

When I have to take over what I have been doing to the members who came after me, I especially feel that my past experiences have become my strength.

In addition, I have been able to deepen and verbalize my thoughts so much that I have become more confident in communicating something to others. I believe that I was able to step up my game while valuing the opinions of those who helped me, with the determination that if I gave up, I would never be able to overcome any further challenges.

-Are there any tasks that have left a particularly strong impression on you?

While I work remotely daily, I still vividly remember participating in a real exhibition on-site. It was great to see the reactions of the people who came to the exhibition in person and to feel the same enthusiasm as everyone at the venue.

-Now that you are about to graduate from college, what will be your future career path?

I will be working for a different space company. Thanks to that, I will still be involved in space work, and I would like to tell more about the space industry to the outside world.

Until now, when I told people I was interning at a space startup, the students around me said, “That’s great!” I realized firsthand that people do not yet have a familiar impression of the space industry.

I would like to tell the younger generation, who will be responsible for future industries, that space is a familiar environment for them so that they will be more interested in the space industry as a place to find a job or change jobs.

For example, the word “telecommunication,” which often appears in WARPSPACE messages, can suddenly become more familiar to people of the same age by simply referring to a “smartphone in your hand”. I would be happy if we can involve people who can work together with us for 5 to 10 years by making such efforts.

What is the most important Compass of Behavior?

-Finally, what is the most important “Compass of Behavior” for you?

I chose “Adventure!”

This internship was an adventure that started with the excitement I felt a year ago. From the days I spent at WARPSPACE, I realized that I can achieve results at a higher level because I approach my work with curiosity and a sense of adventure and because I am constantly challenging myself.

I will continue to be an adventurer, to be inventive in any way I can in the situations I am in, and to take on the challenges!