1
00:00:13,910 --> 00:00:12,549
i went to school at louisiana tech

2
00:00:15,509 --> 00:00:13,920
university for a bachelor's of

3
00:00:17,510 --> 00:00:15,519
engineering and chemical engineering

4
00:00:18,790 --> 00:00:17,520
with a minor in aviation my grandfather

5
00:00:20,550 --> 00:00:18,800
was the youngest pilot to come out of

6
00:00:23,509 --> 00:00:20,560
the city of new orleans during world war

7
00:00:25,589 --> 00:00:23,519
ii and as a result i also had a

8
00:00:27,109 --> 00:00:25,599
passion for flying louisiana tech was

9
00:00:28,870 --> 00:00:27,119
the only school in louisiana that did

10
00:00:31,029 --> 00:00:28,880
have a flight line and so i ended up in

11
00:00:32,069 --> 00:00:31,039
north louisiana gaining that education

12
00:00:33,830 --> 00:00:32,079
there

13
00:00:35,430 --> 00:00:33,840
after i joined the nasa team i did go

14
00:00:36,630 --> 00:00:35,440
back to school and i have a master's in

15
00:00:38,790 --> 00:00:36,640
environmental engineering from the

16
00:00:40,389 --> 00:00:38,800
university of new orleans in my spare

17
00:00:41,910 --> 00:00:40,399
time i was flying search and rescue

18
00:00:43,990 --> 00:00:41,920
missions for the city of new orleans

19
00:00:46,069 --> 00:00:44,000
civil air patrol we would fly out of

20
00:00:47,670 --> 00:00:46,079
lakefront airport which is an

21
00:00:49,590 --> 00:00:47,680
old historic airport in the city of new

22
00:00:51,029 --> 00:00:49,600
orleans and do search and rescue

23
00:00:52,709 --> 00:00:51,039
missions for the city of new orleans

24
00:00:53,990 --> 00:00:52,719
itself

25
00:00:56,069 --> 00:00:54,000
currently i'm working construction on

26
00:00:58,310 --> 00:00:56,079
the b2 test stand

27
00:01:00,069 --> 00:00:58,320
often i'm the only female in the realm

28
00:01:02,950 --> 00:01:00,079
so often times

29
00:01:05,429 --> 00:01:02,960
the designers as well as the technicians

30
00:01:06,789 --> 00:01:05,439
are male dominated and so being an only

31
00:01:09,030 --> 00:01:06,799
female in the room sometimes is a

32
00:01:11,030 --> 00:01:09,040
challenge but i have to understand that

33
00:01:13,510 --> 00:01:11,040
i have been educated i have worked in

34
00:01:15,830 --> 00:01:13,520
this industry for over 10 years and i do

35
00:01:17,350 --> 00:01:15,840
have a voice and it does matter

36
00:01:19,109 --> 00:01:17,360
a moment in my nasa history that's

37
00:01:21,429 --> 00:01:19,119
really resonates with me is the moment

38
00:01:23,510 --> 00:01:21,439
that i got to meet commander collins

39
00:01:24,950 --> 00:01:23,520
the day that i interviewed

40
00:01:26,910 --> 00:01:24,960
to work for the external fuel tank

41
00:01:29,590 --> 00:01:26,920
program commander collins and her

42
00:01:31,910 --> 00:01:29,600
sts-114 crew were at misha assembly

43
00:01:33,190 --> 00:01:31,920
facility and i stood in the audience and

44
00:01:34,630 --> 00:01:33,200
i listened to her speak about the

45
00:01:36,149 --> 00:01:34,640
mission and i listened to her speak

46
00:01:37,749 --> 00:01:36,159
about

47
00:01:40,230 --> 00:01:37,759
what she was going to do with return to

48
00:01:42,710 --> 00:01:40,240
flight and at that moment i wanted to

49
00:01:44,870 --> 00:01:42,720
support her and her vision for us to

50
00:01:46,789 --> 00:01:44,880
return to flight

51
00:01:48,550 --> 00:01:46,799
meeting commander collins was a moment

52
00:01:51,030 --> 00:01:48,560
that i'll always remember knowing that

53
00:01:52,870 --> 00:01:51,040
she's at the very first female united

54
00:01:54,870 --> 00:01:52,880
states commander of a space shuttle was

55
00:01:56,149 --> 00:01:54,880
something that was remarkable to me also

56
00:01:57,749 --> 00:01:56,159
knowing that she was the mother of two

57
00:02:00,389 --> 00:01:57,759
children made me realize that being a

58
00:02:02,709 --> 00:02:00,399
nasa engineer a female nasa engineer

59
00:02:05,429 --> 00:02:02,719
anything is possible

60
00:02:07,109 --> 00:02:05,439
if i could give advice to any young lady

61
00:02:08,710 --> 00:02:07,119
quite frankly any child out there that's

62
00:02:10,469 --> 00:02:08,720
thinking about doing something in the

63
00:02:11,910 --> 00:02:10,479
field of science technology engineering

64
00:02:14,309 --> 00:02:11,920
or mathematics

65
00:02:16,070 --> 00:02:14,319
would be to dig deep and try hard

66
00:02:18,470 --> 00:02:16,080
stem is a challenging

67
00:02:21,589 --> 00:02:18,480
program it's a dynamic field and it's

68
00:02:23,910 --> 00:02:21,599
also so very rewarding but it's hard so

69
00:02:27,110 --> 00:02:23,920
don't lose sight try really hard stay

70
00:02:28,630 --> 00:02:27,120
focused and keep dreaming

71
00:02:29,670 --> 00:02:28,640
what makes me proudest to be a woman at

72
00:02:31,270 --> 00:02:29,680
nasa

73
00:02:32,949 --> 00:02:31,280
is that i get to help build the space