SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell returned to her alma mater on Monday and delivered Northwestern University’s commencement address to the class of 2021.

Speaking virtually, Shotwell gave Northwestern’s students an overview of her career, especially focusing on the nearly two decades that she’s worked for Elon Musk’s SpaceX. As one of the company’s first employees, she has been with SpaceX from its early startup days to now, a space company with nearly 10,000 employees and worth $74 billion.

“The one accomplishment that we have that I am most proud of is helping to get our country flying astronauts again on American-made rockets and spaceships,” Shotwell said.

She gave advice to graduates and also declared that she is “worried about our nation’s children,” saying the U.S. education system is “not preparing our children for their future.”

“We are not giving all of our children an education that will shape them into resourceful and productive people that our country needs to remain relevant. Every child is a resource to better our future and our future will be driven by technology,” Shotwell said during her address.

SpaceX’s Starship rocket production facility in Boca Chica, Texas, as CEO Elon Musk (third from the right) and President Gwynne Shotwell (third from the left) tour.
SpaceX’s Starship rocket production facility in Boca Chica, Texas, as CEO Elon Musk (third from the right) and President Gwynne Shotwell (third from the left) tour.
Steve Jurvetson on flickr
Shotwell received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1986 and 1988, respectively, from Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering, and currently serves on the university’s board of trustees.

Northwestern also awarded Shotwell with an honorary degree.