Marcus Jackson, a 2011 graduate of Eastside High, has long been fascinated by space.

That’s why when seeking a summer internship, he set his sights on one of the world’s most popular museums and landed a job in Washington, D.C., interning at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Now a biology major at Xavier University of Louisiana, Jackson had to procure faculty recommendations and submit a transcript and an essay to apply for the internship, which included a $5,500 stipend for housing and transportation in the nation’s capital.

His job involved research on space commercialism, "using historical case studies relating to models of public stimulation, such as the telephone or airline industries.’’

"Coming from a small town in Georgia, it is amazing to see and experience all the mystery and awe that embodies D.C.," Jackson said.

"I am astonished and amazed by the fact that I work next door to Capitol Hill,’’ he said, "and as I walk down the National Mall, I can see the White House and the Lincoln Memorial.’’