1
00:00:08,690 --> 00:00:14,350
My name is Abigail Rodriguez, and I am an
aerospace technologist in structural materials

2
00:00:14,350 --> 00:00:17,820
at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland
Ohio.

3
00:00:17,820 --> 00:00:24,220
As an employee of the Quality Engineering
and Assurance Branch, I support several projects

4
00:00:24,220 --> 00:00:28,130
in making sure that they comply with NASA’s
safety standards, that their materials are

5
00:00:28,130 --> 00:00:35,470
compatible with each other, I also help them
in minimizing risks and reducing defects in

6
00:00:35,470 --> 00:00:38,590
order to achieve mission success.

7
00:00:38,590 --> 00:00:44,399
Working in a research environment is both
challenging and rewarding just because you

8
00:00:44,399 --> 00:00:48,199
have to have meetings and interact with people
with different backgrounds.

9
00:00:48,199 --> 00:00:56,179
So you’re constantly working with both engineers
and scientists, and it’s important to understand

10
00:00:56,179 --> 00:01:01,510
everyone—to come together—in order to
achieve project success.

11
00:01:01,510 --> 00:01:04,470
We live and work in a melting pot.

12
00:01:04,470 --> 00:01:07,380
Everywhere we go we see people with different
backgrounds.

13
00:01:07,380 --> 00:01:10,590
Diversity is part of our daily lives.

14
00:01:10,590 --> 00:01:16,960
I am really grateful to be working in a place
that everybody’s accepted as they are.

15
00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:20,080
I am an individual with three different cultures.

16
00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:25,800
I celebrate it by sharing it with my co-workers:
my culture, my traditions, and also baking

17
00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,700
and cooking for them recipes that have been
passed on for generations.

18
00:01:28,700 --> 00:01:35,620
I was born in Queens, New York, and my mother
moved to Puerto Rico when I was a year and

19
00:01:35,620 --> 00:01:38,430
a half old.

20
00:01:38,430 --> 00:01:41,690
She was a woman that led by example.

21
00:01:41,690 --> 00:01:47,930
Thanks to her, I learned the importance of
love, care, and respect for one another.

22
00:01:47,930 --> 00:01:50,420
And thanks to her, I also achieved my greatest
dream, which was to become an engineer.

23
00:01:50,420 --> 00:01:57,640
The Hispanic heritage month is a reminder
that I am bilingual and that I can roll my

24
00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:58,640
“Rs.”

25
00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:05,720
As a Puerto-Rican, it’s a reminder that
the brave spirit of the Spaniards, the courage

26
00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:09,770
of the Tejanos, and the strength of the Africans
run through my veins.

27
00:02:09,770 --> 00:02:16,331
If I had to give advice to a future NASA candidate,
I would say never take no for an answer.