For Matthew Spencer, a University Honors Program junior studying aerospace engineering, aviation has always been part of his story. Spencer began flight training in high school and once imagined himself pursuing a career as a pilot. Over time, he realized he wanted something broader, a way to pair his love of flying with engineering, innovation and international collaboration. That decision ultimately brought him to NC State and the University Honors Program.

His perspective has also been shaped by his French background, an identity which has sparked his interest in geography and international relations.

“I was born with dual citizenship, and it’s always been a big part of who I am,” he shares. “It’s developed one of my biggest passions, which is geography and international relations. My mom came from another country, and she really instilled that in me.”

That mix of technical skill and global outlook now shapes the way he approaches opportunities on campus. As treasurer for Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) here at NC State, Spencer helps prepare young professionals for careers in the space industry. Through this involvement, he recently had the chance to represent both NC State and the United States at SPACETIDE 2025, a major international space industry conference in Tokyo, Japan.

“It was such an honor to serve as an ambassador of the U.S.,” Spencer said. “Mason [Meyer] and I were the only Americans at the event, and getting to share our perspective with students from Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and beyond was incredible.”

Spencer’s friend Mason Meyer is also a University Honors Program student studying aerospace engineering.

The event, organized by the Space Generation Advisory Council [Japan], focused on the role of young professionals in the global space economy. Spencer’s panel wrestled with some of the biggest questions facing the field, including how future space resources such as asteroid mining can be managed in ways that benefit everyone.

“International cooperation is going to be huge,” Spencer predicts. “If we have individual countries developing their own programs, they’re only going to support their own national interests. How will that affect non-spacefaring nations?”

While the policy discussions were important, what stood out most to Spencer was the chance to work alongside students from around the world. In small group workshops, he found himself trading ideas with Japanese engineering students and a young Malaysian satellite engineer heavily involved with the Space Generation Advisory Council.

“Space is very interdisciplinary,” he shares. “It was cool bouncing ideas off people from totally different backgrounds. It made for a really interesting discussion.”

For Spencer, the experience also connected back to the core values of the Honors Program: curiosity, connection and humility.

“Connection was obvious, since I was meeting people from all over the world,” he said. “Humility came in because I went into it thinking, ‘I don’t know much, but I’m here to learn.’ And curiosity was everywhere, I was curious about them, and they were just as curious about me. I came out of the conference with a stack of 40 or 50 business cards, most of which came from people who approached me first. That was really cool.”

Those same values carried into the more casual moments of the trip. In conversations outside of the sessions, Spencer often found himself talking about NC State, showing photos of campus and sharing opportunities that have shaped his own experience. One recent example is NC State’s Alternative Service Break (ASB) program, a campus-wide initiative that the UHP partnered with this past May to give students, including Spencer, the chance to travel to and serve in Morocco.

“They thought it was amazing, because many of them don’t have anything like that at their universities,” Spencer says.

During the conference, Spencer practiced some of the advice that he gives to fellow students, which is to invest your time and energy into organizations and opportunities related to your goals and network with as many people as possible.

“I joined Students for the Exploration and Development of Space – I wouldn’t have been able to get this opportunity [to go to Japan/attend the conference] had I not joined the club,” he said. “Now me and Mason [Meyer], through the connections we made in Japan, now we’re getting other opportunities… like guest speakers for the club, potential internship opportunities… It’s a big chain of events. Just branch out as much as possible.”

Reflecting on both the conference and those exchanges, Spencer shares that the experience solidified his interest in finding work that blends engineering with global connection. With the space economy projected to grow to nearly $1.8 trillion by 2035, he knows the possibilities are expanding.

“I don’t know exactly what that role will look like yet, but I know I want to have some sort of job where I can bridge the gap between countries as it relates to space and engineering,” he says. “The opportunities in this industry are growing fast, and I’m excited to be part of it.”