Students in McAllen got an out of this world visit from their school's namesake.

Retired NASA Astronaut Col. Michael Fossum visited the McAllen ISD middle school named after him, and welcomed students with a surprise greeting.

The 65-year-old man who left McAllen to go to space spoke to students such as Mason Lopez, an eight grader who said he wants to be a pilot.

Fossum makes this visit every year to deliver a message to students: Following your dream should be fun.

"It was a lot of work to get there, but it was fun,” Fossum said.

Fossum left McAllen to study engineering. He applied for 13 years before he was accepted as an astronaut at the age of 40.

“I was 11 when we landed on the moon, that started a crazy dream for me of flying in space,” Fossum recalled. “I remember watching it here in McAllen on a little black and white TV with my parents, and walking out…looking up at the moon."

Fossum says STEM programs and science options are growing for kids who want to work in the space industry.

During his visit, he told students to develop a love of learning, and don't be discouraged.

“The unfortunate thing was that people laughed and ridiculed,” Fossum said. “The dream got buried. It wasn't until years later when I actually met some astronauts to help prove to me astronauts aren't gods or anything. They’re normal people with an outrageous job."

Watch the video above for the full story.