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It’s quite amusing listening to Rory Barton-Grimley describe himself as someone who “barely graduated high school,” given that he is now a NASA Research Scientist. It’s the kind of reveal that underscores the beauty of an unconventional life path, where sometimes the road less traveled is the one worth taking.
Not that Barton-Grimley intentionally chose this route; rather, he simply went with the flow. When it comes to his lackluster performance in high school, he offers a straightforward explanation: “I just wasn’t interested in school — I was more interested in skateboarding, surfing, going to the beach, stuff along those lines.” Instead of heading to a four-year university after graduating from Carpinteria High School — or even enrolling in a city college — he took a job mopping floors at a Carpinteria car shop.