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[ Music ]

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My name is Abigail Rodriguez,

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and I am an aerospace
technologist

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in structural materials at
NASA Glenn Research Center

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in Cleveland Ohio.

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As an employee of the
Quality Engineering

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and Assurance Branch, I support
several projects in making sure

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that they comply with
NASA's safety standards,

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that their materials are
compatible with each other,

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I also help them in minimizing
risks and reducing defects

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in order to achieve
mission success.

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Working in a research
environment is both challenging

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and rewarding just because
you have to have meetings

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and interact with people
with different backgrounds.

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So you're constantly
working with both engineers

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and scientists, and
it's important

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to understand everyone-to
come together-in order

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to achieve project success.

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We live and work
in a melting pot.

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Everywhere we go we see people
with different backgrounds.

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Diversity is part
of our daily lives.

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I am really grateful to
be working in a place

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that everybody's
accepted as they are.

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I am an individual with
three different cultures.

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I celebrate it by sharing it
with my co-workers: my culture,

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my traditions, and also baking
and cooking for them recipes

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that have been passed
on for generations.

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I was born in Queens, New
York, and my mother moved

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to Puerto Rico when I was
a year and a half old.

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She was a woman that
led by example.

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Thanks to her, I learned the
importance of love, care,

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and respect for one another.

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And thanks to her, I also
achieved my greatest dream,

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which was to become an engineer.

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The Hispanic heritage month is
a reminder that I am bilingual

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and that I can roll my "Rs."

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As a Puerto-Rican, it's a
reminder that the brave spirit

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of the Spaniards, the courage
of the Tejanos, and the strength

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of the Africans run
through my veins.

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If I had to give advice to
a future NASA candidate,

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I would say never
take no for an answer.