American Girl has announced that their 2018 “Girl of the Year” will be Luciana Vega, an inspiring 11-year-old of Chilean-descent who dreams of becoming the first person on Mars, according to PR Newswire.
The company teamed up with female NASA employees to create the doll, which has brown hair, brown eyes, and comes fully decked out with STEM-inspired outfits, accessories, and an intergalactic-appropriate space suit.
Katy Dickson, president of American Girl spoke about the inspirational doll. “Luciana is a role model for today’s girls — empowering them to defy stereotypes, embrace risks and failures, and chart their own course in life — whatever the goal,” she said.
American Girl collaborated with Dr. Megan McArthur Behnken, a NASA Astronaut; Dr. Ellen Stofan, former NASA chief scientist; Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center; and Maureen O’Brien, the manager of strategic alliances at NASA, to see that Luciana was fitted with all of the proper gear.
Luciana will also have her own book series, written by Erin Teagan and published by Scholastic, that will follow her tackling the challenges of Space Camp and youth astronaut training.
We’re excited to see American Girl representing the Latina community, and reminding girls of their own superpowers.
We’re also hoping Luciana’s silver metallic combat boots come in our size (@AmericanGirl?)
All photos via American Girl
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Anna Wesche is a BUST intern, a writer, blogger, and lover of Doritos (Nacho Cheese). Follow her on Instagram at @annamargery to follow her transformation into a cat.