HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, who was the first woman to pilot a space shuttle and the first woman to command a space mission, will deliver High Point University’s Commencement address to undergraduate students on May 1, 2027.
A former U.S. Air Force test pilot, Collins solidified her place in history as a trailblazer after she was selected to serve as an astronaut in 1990. On Feb. 3, 1995, she piloted a space shuttle for the first time when she lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and flew the six-person crew in the Discovery to the Mir space station.
Collins’ historic flight marked the first rendezvous between an American space shuttle and the Russian-owned Mir. Two years later, she was the pilot for the Atlantis, which successfully docked with the space station and traveled 3.6 million miles before landing after nearly 10 days in space.
Ignoring naysayers as a female astronaut, Collins made history again on July 23, 1999. She became the first woman to command a NASA mission when the Columbia launched into space and deployed the world’s most powerful X-ray telescope known as the Chandra X-Ray Observatory.
“At High Point University, we challenge our students to be extraordinary and live a life of significance and purpose. Eileen Collins has done just that while breaking down barriers and writing her name in the history books,” HPU President Nido Qubein said. “We are excited for our graduates and their families to learn from her inspirational story.”
About Eileen Collins:
Collins is the subject of the 2024 documentary, “Spacewoman,” which chronicles her life, accomplishments and impact on the next generation of female space explorers. She has logged more than 6,750 hours in 30 different types of aircraft during her career, and she has spent more than 870 hours — or roughly 36 days — in space while on four missions.
Her final space flight came in July of 2005 during NASA’s first “Return to Flight” mission following the tragic Columbia disaster that killed all seven astronauts onboard two years earlier. She retired as a colonel in the Air Force in 2005 and from NASA in 2006 following a distinguished 28-year career.
Collins has been inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. She published her memoir, “Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars” in 2021.
Collins will be the second former astronaut to give a Commencement address to HPU graduates. Dr. Buzz Aldrin, who was a part of the historic Apollo 11 moonwalk with Neil Armstrong in 1969, delivered an inspirational message to the Class of 2009. She also joins a long list of distinguished HPU Commencement speakers, including:
- Kathryn McLay, former CEO of Walmart International
- Chuck Robbins, CEO of Cisco Systems
- Jane Seymour, Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-winning actress
- Raj Subramaniam, president and CEO of the FedEx Corporation
- Daniel Lubetzky, founder of KIND Snacks
- Cynt Marshall, former CEO of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and HPU’s Sports Executive in Residence
- Michio Kaku, physicist and co-founder of String Field Theory
- Wolf Blitzer, lead political anchor at CNN
- Condoleezza Rice, the 66th Secretary of State of the United States
- Tom Brokaw, NBC broadcast legend
- Colin Powell, former U.S. Secretary of State, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and national security advisor
- Former First Lady Laura Bush
- Josh Groban, internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter and actor
- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
- Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple and HPU’s Innovator in Residence
- Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan
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Alex Abrams High Point University 3369517926 aabrams1@highpoint.edu