Student Perpective: What does one wear to meet the Pope?

Isabella Macías greeting the Pope during VOSS cohort’s private audience at the Apostolic Palace. Image credit: Vatican Media

FLA Alumna and College Coach Isabella Macías is pursuing her PhD in astrophysics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During the summer of 2025, she was the only astrophysics student in the United States to attend a course at the Vatican Observatory, where she learned to use the James Webb Space Telescope for her research on exoplanets. She also had the opportunity to greet the Pope, as seen above. “Today, I serve as an inspiration to the students in the program, offering them a glimpse into my own college experience and showing them how they too can achieve success in the world of research and academia,” said Isabella.

Read more about Isabella’s experience here: Student perspective: what does one wear to meet the Pope? - MIT EAPS

And see her on CBS Sunday Morning here: Scanning the heavens at the Vatican Observatory