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I came to work at NASA, actually before I even knew how
to drive a car.
[ Music ]
My name is Anne Mills.
I work at NASA, and this is my story.
My first day at NASA, I was sixteen years old.
I actually just turned sixteen years old.
And I was so excited.
A very powerful lesson I learned on my first day was
that you know even at sixteen, at NASA,
they know that if your here, you are - your're competent,
and they will treat you like a peer.
I had gone to graduate school at the University of Maryland
to pursue a degree in library science.
And it turned out that NASA Glenn Research Center was
looking for a co-op student doing exactly what I was
studying archives and records management,
and I ended up getting the position, and I started back
at NASA three or four years after I left as an intern.
And here I am today.
[ Music ]
I am the Center Records Manager and History Officer
at Glenn Research Center.
I have learned everything about what it means
to be a good person from my mom and dad.
From my dad, I learned what it means
to do your best all the time and work really hard.
And from my mom, I learned that it's always okay to be silly,
and it's always okay to laugh and smile, and life is just
so much more fun that way.
One thing that I have kind of come to be known for here
at NASA is that I am an Irish step dancer.
And it's not something that I actually started doing
until I was in college.
The dancing is just so rewarding in that it's both artistic
and athletic and cultural.
When I put on my dance shoes, it feels like it, it must feel
like how you know when an artist picks up their paint brush
or a musician picks up their instrument.
You just get so excited about the possibilities
of you know what kinds of things am I going
to create with myself today.
I didn't really have a vision
for what I thought my life was going to be like.
You know life is full of surprises.
When I was sixteen, I had no idea I was gonna work at NASA,
but I know that if I follow those core values
of working hard every day, doing my best, being myself,
and following my heart that I will be in the right place
at the right time for whatever opportunities come my way.
If I had to offer advice to the next generation,
I would say find, find joy in every day.
Life is a gift.
You are a gift.
So just be yourself.
Follow your heart.
Enjoy all that life has to offer,
and don't take a second of it for granted.
My name is Anne Mills, and I work at NASA.
[ Music ]