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“Let's see, when someone asks me what do
I do, I usually respond with, 'I work at NASA,'

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then I kinda let them figure out what I want,
what I do and then I say, "no, I don't fly…

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I don't fly a Space Shuttle.

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I'm not an astronaut.

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And, no, I real don't know if there are aliens…
they really don't tell me that'.

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I'm a part of a team that builds the buildings,
maintains the buildings, make sure that you

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have all the work space that you need to do
your work in order for you to do that cutting

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edge flight research.

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My name is Gemma Flores.

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\hI'm an architect here at Dryden Flight Research
Center in California.

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We are at the Consolidated Information Technology
Center.

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\hThis is the central hub for the center where
all the computers are going to be.

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\hThis is a new building recently completed
this year.

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\hFor this project, I was the project manager…
from planning, design, through construction,

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and now activation and uh, operation maintenance.

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\hI like the idea of doing something really
technical and being able to be creative with

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it.

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In 2004, I graduated Cal Poly, Pomona with
my architecture degree.

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\hThere was uh, a period in college when i
wanted to work for NASA, but I didn't' know

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that there was more that your could do than
being a pilot or an astronaut.

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\h\h

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Why do we have and architect when we can hire
somebody else, which we do contract out to

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an architecture firm, but you need somebody
on the center that can look at things in a

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spatial manner, you know in terms of the master
plan, somebody that can coordinate.

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\hYou know architecture is what they say the
um, mother of all art.

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\hSo, it's sort of, it's kinda like the macro
view of looking at a facility in terms of

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the space and how things work together.

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\hIt's a very exhilarating feeling, you know,
finishing projects…

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um, satisfying your customer, you know, see
great things happen.

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\hYou know being able to be in a place where
you can see great things happen because you're

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building a building for them, or maintaining
a building for them or giving them what they

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need to do their thing.

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When you have a strong team, you have a strong
product.

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\hThat's how I was able to find my mentor
is they, they see the potential and I show

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the desire and they want to help you out.

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\hThey want make sure you are successful.

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Her name is Athena, she's five, she's cute.

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\hShe's uh, she just lost her two bottom teeth.

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\hHearing her the other day she's like, 'Mommy,
I want to work where you work, I want to do

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what you do.'

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\hOh man, I was like, 'well then you have
to get good grades.'

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\hAnd you know, finding the path you know
to inspire her to do great things you know,