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In high school, my senior year, my calculus teacher said, "You
should do engineering. You can do the math, and they need
more females in engineering." So, I thought, OK, and I thought about
chemical engineering. Then a friend of mine in that same class said
that if you do mechanical engineering, you can maybe work for NASA
someday. So, I was like, that sounds good. Then NASA, Chrissa Hall
with the coop program, came to Tennessee Tech University, where I
went to school, and had a booth set up. I was like, "yeah, I'm gonna
go talk with NASA," thinking, like, that's all silly, 'cause who
actually works for NASA?! I had an interview. I guess she really liked
me because here I am! In ER31 I worked on the space shuttle main
engine. You talk with astronauts. You have astronauts coming in to
remind you of this is why we have to do so much testing. This is
why our work matters. Not for us and a paycheck, but for them. And,
I mean, it's NASA! I've been back and forth for the past three
years, between co-op and work. And it hasn't lost that glitz - for me.
It's about exploration. It's about space. It's not a one in a million
chance, it's a one in a billion. Like when Christopher Columbus
went out to find new land. That's what we're doing. And I hate
the fact that it seems like the public doesn't see that. Because
that's what drove me as a child. I'm really concerned with the
youth and with young females to keep them encouraged with science
and engineering and with space. So that they don't lose that, so
that they still have that desire to explore, to be more than what
other people think they can be. My family is a big reason that I do
what I do and why I've chosen the path that I've chosen. To watch
me and help me become the person that I am and achieve these great
goals, they're so proud. I hope that I do more ridiculous things,
like go on to medical school or become an astronaut or go to
space myself. I don't want to stop dreaming big. I don't want to
feel like I've reached my potential. Even when I'm 75 or 80 years
old, I want to keep reaching for something more to inspire people.