The Boy Who Has No Hope (Soulless #6) - Victoria Quinn Page 0,73

in his own lab. “But there’re only twenty of them. And of that twenty, there’s only one woman. We’ve got to change that.”

A round of applause filled the auditorium.

Derek didn’t seem to notice it because he was so focused on Dr. Salazar. “I’ve been working with my company to figure out a way to have an internship program geared toward all kinds of students, but especially women. Through scholarships and additional resources, we can get more women into this field. Since the dawn of time, women have been told that their place is in the home, and even in the twenty-first century, women don’t always feel welcome in this field. We’ve got to get these numbers up so that unease goes away for good.”

Another round of applause filled the audience.

I was mesmerized by this man, so proud that I worked for him, that he was my friend, and that he was my man…

“I think that’s a great goal, Dr. Hamilton. And I’m sure you’ll execute it.” Dr. Salazar looked back over his notes. “Some people may not know this, but your father is the Nobel Prize-winning oncologist, Dr. Deacon Hamilton. It seems like brilliance runs in the family.”

“And I think altruism does too. My father has always been committed to helping humanity. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your socio-economic status is, or where you come from, he wants to help anyone who needs help. I know that’s where my drive and ambition come from, and having such a strong role model like that really solidified my identity. My dad was my hero, and I wanted to be just like him. Obviously, I’m not a physician, but I’ve dedicated my life to something bigger than myself.”

I smiled at the way he described his father. As a parent, it was really touching.

“So, tell me what you’re working on now.”

Derek rubbed his fingers over his shadowed jawline for a few seconds before he found his words. “I finished a new prototype for a rocket. I intend to submit it to NASA, so they can consider using it in one of their upcoming missions. But my newest project is a collaboration with NASA for a rover that will be sent to Mars next year. My other departments are working on different things, like advancements in prosthetics and disability technology.”

“So, you still have a strong working relationship with NASA?”

Derek hesitated for a moment, his eyes switching back and forth as he processed the question. “There are a lot of brilliant and motivated people working for NASA, people I want to collaborate with. They nurture young minds, and they are committed to exploration and beyond.”

Dr. Salazar looked like he wanted to address Odyssey 3, something Derek never publicly mentioned since it happened years ago. But he didn’t. “The fact that you accomplished all this by the age of thirty is truly remarkable. They say Einstein, Niels Bohr, Tesla, they all did things at a very young age, but your accomplishments really make you spectacular. You should be very proud of everything you’ve done.”

Everyone applauded.

Derek dropped his gaze, like he didn’t know what to say to that. “I’m a private person who rarely leads any kind of a public life, but I realize the only way to grow this discipline is to inspire people. If you find me inspiring, then I’ve done my job. I hope to nurture the next generation of scientists and engineers, to teach them there’s only one way to do things—the right way. My students say I’m rough on them because I don’t offer partial credit for their exams, and that’s true, I am rough. But all it takes is one error, one decimal point, and lives are lost.”

Oh my god…he was going to talk about it.

Dr. Salazar was quiet, like he expected Derek to move into the territory he had said was off-limits.

Derek took another pause, like he was trying to talk himself out of it before he said anything. His gaze dropped for a moment before he looked at his interviewer. “I built a rocket for Odyssey 3…” He lost his confidence for a moment as if he were reliving it. “I did the best I could. I checked everything a million times. But then I realized there was a temperature variance that hadn’t been addressed. That was all it took…a few degrees. That’s why I push people, not to be the best, but to be perfect. Because even perfection isn’t enough sometimes. We’re giving kids trophies and ribbons