Public Affairs Officer (PAO)

Vivien Ryen was born on March 10, 2006 along with her twin sister Ava. Vivien is ten years old and also has a little brother named Keir. She has lived in Norwalk, CT her whole life.

Vivien joined Columbus Magnet School this year in 5th grade. She used to go to Kendall Elementary School, where she’d been since Kindergarten. Vivien has been in the Academically Talented program since the beginning in third grade, and at her old school she received the student of the month award every year from her teachers, which she is very proud of. She was selected to be a Safety this year for Ms. Jennifer’s first grade class, and she really enjoys playing with the kids when she’s not bringing them to their buses.

Vivien has participated in the science fair since third grade and also plans to do it this year. Last year, her project “Cookie Chemistry” won second place at her school. Her favorite part of the experiment was getting to try all the different batches of cookies (the bad ones, not so much). Vivien also played viola in third grade.

During her spare time, Vivien enjoys a variety of sports. She did Tae Kwon Do for about a year and earned her yellow belt. The next year she joined a recreation swim team and also played volleyball in fourth grade. So far this year Vivien has taken archery classes, which she enjoyed a lot, and she is currently learning how to rock climb.

Vivien deeply enjoys reading and loves to learn about history, social studies, and geography. Social studies is her favorite subject at school. When she grows up she doesn’t quite know what she wants to be, but she is definitely thinking about being a history teacher. She is currently part of the Editorial Board at CMS and enjoys reading everyone’s stories.

Vivien’s personal heroes are her parents and her twin, Ava. Ava because she is a really good writer, and her parents because they inspire her to read and learn about the world and geography. Vivien loves going on adventures and learning new things, and she wants to travel the world and experience different cultures. She also started learning a little French this year.

For the Young Astronauts mission, Vivien would really like to be part of the crew onboard the capsule, as she loves to explore new places. She is especially interested in being the Commander or the Pilot. She has been developing good leadership skills by taking charge of group projects in school and helping to direct kids as part of her safety job, and she feels that she would be a good leader because she cares about everyone on her team. She doesn’t just follow her own ideas but also listens to everyone to make better decisions. Vivien likes using remote controls, and earlier this year, she started getting driving lessons from her mom, which she thinks would be useful as a pilot.

Vivien joined the Young Astronauts program this year, and is really excited about what she’s going to experience and learn. She can’t wait for the mission and the Washington DC trip.