Foreign
Kirti Tiwari
Kirti Tiwari was elated when he learned last year that he'd been nominated by his higher-ups at the United States Army to become a NASA astronaut. Tiwari  who first enlisted in the military in 2014  was excited by the prospect of what he felt was a huge career advancement opportunity. "I always had this idea of wearing a uniform " he says.
Tiwari  who first came to the U.S. on a student visa  qualified for the program on account of both his fluency in Hindi and his academic performance. Prior to enlisting  he had earned a master's degree in molecular biology from the University of Houston  and worked as a research specialist at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital. He enlisted in June of 2014; one year later  he was naturalized through the Army after completing basic combat training and advanced individual training. In 2016  after a months-long process   Tiwari  simultaneously applied for a NASA astronaut candidate program through the Army and a military microbiologist posting.
A few months later   Tiwari  learned the Army had selected  him  as a microbiologist and also nominated  him  for the NASA astronaut program.  Tiwari  was working as an Army health-care specialist at a military base near Tacoma  Washington  where  he  was told that  he  had been retroactively declared ineligible for either career opportunity—precisely because  he  was a foreign-born recruit.
Some soldiers find themselves unable to enter the U.S. Army medical department's programs for dentistry  physician assistantship  and other health professions. "Some people are being told they can't apply to regular officer-producing programs "  Tiwari  says. "Sometimes they are told the previous restriction has been removed  only to receive a clearance but no commission."
Despite this  the Department of Defense says it is still processing security clearances for MAVNIs  and claims there is reason for optimism for soldiers in the program.  Tiwari  remains hopeful about the approval of  his  own pending security clearance— he  plans to move to Georgia this winter to serve as an Army microbiologist in the medical service corps.  He  will also press forward with  his  lawsuit   he  says as a way to seek justice for fellow soldiers.
For now  foreign enlistees remain in limbo  hoping the Department of Defense will determine that they're fit to serve. "I really hope one day I can become an astronaut "  Tiwari  says. For now   his  dream job has been grounded.
[TGT] was elated when [TGT] learned last year that [TGT]'d been nominated by [TGT] higher-ups at the United States Army to become a NASA astronaut. Tiwari  who first enlisted in the military in 2014  was excited by the prospect of what he felt was a huge career advancement opportunity. "I always had this idea of wearing a uniform " he says.
Tiwari  who first came to the U.S. on a student visa  qualified for the program on account of both his fluency in Hindi and his academic performance. Prior to enlisting  he had earned a master's degree in molecular biology from the University of Houston  and worked as a research specialist at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital. He enlisted in June of 2014; one year later  he was naturalized through the Army after completing basic combat training and advanced individual training. In 2016  after a months-long process   [TGT]  simultaneously applied for a NASA astronaut candidate program through the Army and a military microbiologist posting.
A few months later   Tiwari  learned the Army had selected  him  as a microbiologist and also nominated  him  for the NASA astronaut program.  [TGT]  was working as an Army health-care specialist at a military base near Tacoma  Washington  where  he  was told that  he  had been retroactively declared ineligible for either career opportunity—precisely because  he  was a foreign-born recruit.
Some soldiers find themselves unable to enter the U.S. Army medical department's programs for dentistry  physician assistantship  and other health professions. "Some people are being told they can't apply to regular officer-producing programs "  Tiwari  says. "Sometimes they are told the previous restriction has been removed  only to receive a clearance but no commission."
Despite this  the Department of Defense says it is still processing security clearances for MAVNIs  and claims there is reason for optimism for soldiers in the program.  Tiwari  remains hopeful about the approval of  his  own pending security clearance— he  plans to move to Georgia this winter to serve as an Army microbiologist in the medical service corps.  He  will also press forward with  his  lawsuit   he  says as a way to seek justice for fellow soldiers.
For now  foreign enlistees remain in limbo  hoping the Department of Defense will determine that they're fit to serve. "I really hope one day I can become an astronaut "  Tiwari  says. For now   his  dream job has been grounded.