I have to admit that I was excited to visit Neil Armstrong, a school that was built in 2007. Neil Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio and was the first astronaut to step foot on the moon on July 20, 1969. Armstrong is also noted for his ...one step for mankind speech...upon taking his first step on the lunar surface. And yet, I admire Armstrong most for his willingness to give back to Ohio through his teaching career at the University of Cincinnati and his willingness to remain a fellow Ohioan despite his celebrity status.

It should come as no surprise that when I asked the students at Neil Armstrong what were their dreams? The responses I received were as follows:
"I want to be the first astronaut to walk on Mars."
"I want to ride in a rocket."
"I want to fly!"
"I want to fly my own UFO spaceship."

I think Armstrong would be touched by these students' responses - by his contribution to Nasa's space program and how he has sparked the interest of these children decades after his moon walk in the exploration of space.

I want to thank Melody Gustas and Mr. Hatfield for their exceptional support of my visit. As great an honor it was for me to speak at Neil Armstrong, what I will remember most regarding my visit are the poignant responses from the students like: "Dr. Mullen. I had a dream but it didn't come true."

So I asked the young girl what was her dream? She responded, "I dreamed that my dad would spend time with me over the weekend but he didn't."

I also heard from another student: "How do you believe in a dream?"

We are a nation of creativity and tremendous potential to do well. Forty years ago, we were the first nation to walk on the moon. And yet our most important mission heeds our calling: To inspire our youth in the belief with hard work and dedication that dreams can and do indeed come true.

I've never seen the blue earth from a spaceship. But what I have seen are tears and disappointment in the sad faces of children who've lost hope in us. A child's smile means more to me than the beauty of space. It is the children who I fight for so they can dream the dream.

So how I dream is by reaching out and giving back to one student, one school, one state at a time. This is how I dream and why I believe in the goodness of our children.