Better Together

01Houston, we have a podcast.

02Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space Center, episode 199, Better Together.

03I'm Gary Jordan, and I'll be kicking off this discussion today.

04A little bit ago, Shaniqua Vereen, here at Johnson's Public Affairs Office, had a conversation with a few interns at different NASA centers.

05They talked about their internship experiences at different centers and about diversity in the workplace.

06I thought it was a great and important conversation, particularly because it includes interns from different centers, different organizations, different backgrounds, and everyone really opened up.

07So we're bringing this brief chat here on the podcast.

08Shaniqua talks with Naomi Sepulveda, Dylan Gladney, and Allison Chu.

09They introduced themselves at the beginning of their talk.

10If you're interested in becoming an intern at NASA or just curious about the experience, this episode is for you.

11So I won't delay any longer.

12Enjoy.

13Hi, everyone.

14I'm Shaniqua Vereen.

15I am a public affairs specialist at Johnson Space Center.

16I am also a former Graduate Pathways intern.

17Today's panel is a discussion with current interns that will discuss the benefit of interning as well as the impact of mentorship.

18If you guys want to introduce yourselves, we can start with you, Noemi.

19Yeah, I'm super happy to be here and talk to you guys about my experience at NASA.

20So my name is Noemi Sepulveda.

21I'm from Los Angeles, California, but I ended up going to college at this small liberal arts school in Massachusetts, where I majored in both math and Spanish.

22So I actually graduated back in 2018.

23And after graduating college, I ended up doing a Fulbright scholarship in Spain, where I got to spend a little bit over a year there.

24And I started my NASA journey in January 2020.

25So I'm currently in my fourth internship here at JSC, now working with the XPGS team.

26So the Exploration Pressure Garment Subsystem team of the new XEMU suit that is going to be worn by the first woman and the next man on the moon when we go back.

27So super excited to be here.

28That is awesome.

29Nice to meet you, Noemi.

30Dylan, do you want to introduce yourself?

31Absolutely.

32Glad to be here as well.

33So this is my third internship with the Kennedy Space Center.

34I'm originally from Dallas, Texas, but went on to graduate from Prairie View A&M University, a historically black college, a university in Texas.

35And then went to the University of Central Florida to pursue my MBA, which is how I got introduced to Kennedy Space Center.

36So again, glad to be here and look forward to having this conversation with the rest of you.

37Thank you.

38And Allison, can you introduce yourself first?

39Hi, everyone.

40Thank you so much for having me.

41And I'm really excited to be here.

42My name is Allison Chu, and I'm currently a third year community college student at Irvine Valley College in California.

43And all my life, I've been really interested in space, but I didn't start my NASA journey until about 2018, where I first participated in NASA Community College Area Space Scholars.

44And that was what kind of propelled me to start my journey with NASA.

45And ever since then, I've just been really involved.

46And I've had two internships so far.

47And currently, I'm doing my second one at the Center Space Center.

48That is awesome.

49You guys have all journeyed far and wide to be NASA interns.

50You guys are at multiple centers right now.

51I myself, like I said, I'm at Johnson Space Center.

52I started my journey as a NASA intern in the external relations office.

53I then went to the education office afterwards.

54So you brought up NCOS, Allison.

55I actually, during internship, was the Haas liaison, basically high school aerospace scholars.

56And I'm very familiar with the NCOS program as well.

57So that's very awesome.

58I do want to jump into what you guys are working on currently.

59I know you all have some cool internship projects that you have started.

60Anyone want to share what they're doing right now?

61Yeah, I can go first.

62So currently, I am an outreach intern.

63So I'm volunteering for various robotics competitions with FIRST Robotics alongside of my fellow interns and my mentors.

64And for last year, my internship during spring 2020, I was a software engineering intern.

65So I created a database with C Sharp, SQL Server to store those software licenses at the CENES Space Center.

66And currently, it's being utilized by CENES' software engineering departments as well as financial departments.

67And they predicted that that database will save them a little bit over $100,000 within the lifetime cost of savings.

68So I'm just really excited to be able to contribute to NASA's missions.

69And yeah, just really excited to be here and do a project with NASA.

70That is awesome.

71And anytime we can save $100,000, we can use that to do more experiments and venturing to the moon and Mars.

72So that is pretty awesome.

73You did that as an intern.

74Noemi, Dylan, you guys, what are you guys working on right now?

75Yeah.

76So I actually have a bunch of different tasks.

77So usually my week looks like doing anything from working on the reports that we have to submit to the XEMU project every week to updating spreadsheets that they need for space components, all the way to doing a lot of different CREO and CAD work.

78So building different models of the different components.

79But really, usually most of my tasks revolve around trying to help the different CREO component owners.

80So like the boots or the helmet and the EPG and all these different parts.

81So trying to help these CREO component owners with all the tasks that they need.

82So again, a lot of CREO or CAD or even writing and helping out with test procedures is usually what my work looks like.

83Yes, so my role is not engineering specific, but I do support the Gateway Logistics Office at Kennedy Space Center, but more specifically the strategy and collaboration team within our deep space functional area.

84And so that really includes integration and analysis and enterprise architecture.

85But our main focus is to really kind of create a strategic roadmap for what our organization will look like as far as our technology and scientific needs.

86But at times, I mean, I've done all kinds of different things with diversity, inclusion and culture.

87And so, yes, it's been a great opportunity to work with this group.

88That's awesome.

89Well, I know you guys know you're no stranger to virtual learning, but I wanted to ask, how has the 2020-2021 intern sessions been for you guys since we're now all virtual?

90We're doing meetings virtual.

91We're doing interviews virtual.

92Now we're doing a panel discussion virtual.

93Some of you have been on site.

94Some of you haven't.

95How has it changed?

96What's the benefits or maybe what you miss about being on site?

97Yeah, I could go first and that's OK.

98Yeah, so I started my NASA journey back in January 2020.

99So before we had the whole COVID situation in March where we went on to stage three at JSC.

100So I really I really think there's something special about being at JSC and I'm sure at the other NASA centers as well.

101But I definitely miss it.

102I had the opportunity to work on this project called Suits, which is basically user interface technologies for students at that time.

103So we were really looking forward to bringing in students who are working on the visual display informatics systems for the helmet.

104And we didn't really have the opportunity to bring these students on site because of everything that was happening.

105But I do think that NASA did a really good job just still trying to keep those students engaged.

106And even now as a spacesuit engineer intern, I wish I had the opportunity to be there to just look at all those suits and the tests that are being done in the suits.

107But I know that my current mentors trying her best along with her team to still recording, you know, the tests online and providing us and giving us access to these.

108So I think that overall there's definitely that aspect that I miss being there in person.

109But I think the NASA family is doing a pretty great job still trying to include us and making and trying their best to make it work virtually.

110Yeah, I agree.

111Oh, sorry, Alison.

112Go ahead.

113Yeah, I'm pretty much in the same boat as Noemi.

114Like I started my first internship at NASA in January 2020.

115And right in the middle of it, we had to start working from home.

116So for those two months, even though it was only two months, it still has a really special place in my heart because I got to meet so many NASA interns to see all the projects that NASA was doing on site.

117But then when Mars came along, we had to start working from home.

118But we all thought it would only be maybe like a two week stay at home thing.

119So what I told everyone on site was, oh, I'll see you back here in two weeks.

120But I'm just really excited.

121That wasn't a true statement because I never got to see the member again.

122But virtual internship is definitely a bit different.

123But just like what Noemi said, I think NASA is doing a really good job on making us all feel included.

124And also all the interns are still making a huge impact even at home.

125So I think that's a really great thing about the intern at NASA.

126And I just hope we are going to be in person maybe sometime this year.

127But I guess we'll see.

128It's still been a really good experience.

129Awesome.

130My experience was a little bit different because I started as a virtual intern.

131So I was just extremely grateful for the opportunity.

132I mean, when you look and see these other organizations and companies move to this whole teleworking, I guess, platform, it's important to really learn how to navigate and how to work like we are now.

133So I'm grateful for the opportunity and I look forward to being able to learn how to continue to do more things like this and utilize technology.

134Oh, yeah, that's awesome.

135Honestly, I know some of you mentioned it and you miss being on site.

136I will say working at NASA and even telling people you work at NASA, part of the benefit is like I work at NASA, you know.

137So being on site and having that interaction day to day, it does play a role.

138And I think the sooner we can get back to it, that'd be awesome.

139But I will agree with you guys.

140I think we've done an awesome job as NASA still incorporating interns, still allowing interns opportunities to work and to learn and to grow even from home.

141So I do think that's pretty good.

142I know some of you have mentioned your mentors already, but I know personally for me, I got into my role because I had a mentor in public affairs who I thought was so cool.

143You know, like I thought they, you know, part of the seas, you know, and Dan Hewitt and Veronica Sile were my mentors.

144And they both had very different jobs and both made me come out of my comfort zone to grow.

145And I don't know if you can tell, but I am a pretty much introverted person and public speaking was not something I thought I would be doing.

146But over time, I've grown and they pushed me to step out of your comfort zone.

147You can do more.

148Just practice.

149And so I want you guys to share, if you will, any cool mentor stories or just an impact that a mentor has had on your career or your education.

150Has it changed the path that you're taking?

151If you want, Allison, we'll start with you.

152Okay, so when I first got my acceptance letter back in fall 2019, I think, I was extremely excited to have this opportunity to enter for NASA.

153But soon after that, I was pretty much engulfed in the Poster Syndrome because at the time, I only finished up one year of community college.

154And also on top of that, I was at a community college.

155So at the time, I didn't feel like I matched up with people who went to four years.

156So that was a really big thing for me.

157And also another thing on top of it, I live in California.

158So moving to the Space Center in Mississippi, moving to the South, that was a huge change for me.

159So I was just extremely scared at what would happen and whether or not I would fit in.

160And also I was just like, oh my God, everyone's so smart.

161I don't know if we all fit in.

162But as soon as I came on site, I mentored Philip Hebert and Raylynn.

163And as well as our internship coordinator, Kelsey Biggett, she really encouraged me to just keep persevering and just keep asking questions.

164And that I am only in second year in community college.

165So they don't expect me to know everything at that time.

166So from that, I was really inspired and ended up learning really quickly on the job.

167And I ended up providing my skills at the time to build a really nice project for them.

168And yeah, I think the impact on me was just to keep on learning, just keep being curious and don't be afraid to ask questions.

169That's awesome.

170Dylan, do you have a story you want to share?

171Yeah, definitely.

172I would say mentors are so important, especially to minorities and people of color, essentially because they expose you to so much, right?

173And Shaniqua, and all of you all know this.

174And so for me, Stacey Turner, Hortense Diggs, and Mark Weiss have really done a great job of mentoring me since I've been at NASA.

175I came on during a time of social unrest, just right after the George Floyd killing.

176And they really empowered me to bring my whole self to the internship and to pursue a lot of my passions that I have outside of NASA.

177But that can help NASA as far as their diversity and inclusion work.

178So I've been grateful for those opportunities that they've allowed and putting me out there and so the whole agency can see just what I have to offer.

179That is awesome.

180And I'm glad you did mention that.

181Last year was unprecedented.

182And again, NASA is striving for diversity and inclusion.

183I know for me and for all people of color, representation does matter.

184And that actually is pretty much why I do what I do.

185It's not because I love talking to the public and love, you know, being on camera.

186It's really because I want others who look like me or others who don't think, you know, a person of color, a person with hair like mine, you know, they can see that there's a spot for you at NASA as well.

187So representation matters.

188I'm glad you brought that up, Dylan.

189Noemi, do you have anything you want to share?

190Yeah, definitely.

191To echo that representation matters.

192I remember when I first got my acceptance as well and I had Paramita Mitra as my mentor and she's this incredible woman of color.

193And as a Latina in math, I've been in a lot of spaces where I was the only person and the only Latina in that space.

194So it really encouraged me and she really helped me get out of my bubble and learn so much about her.

195Really, she has she has she's working on suits, which is what I was working on for my project.

196But she also has this other project that is a heads in display.

197So it's basically like Iron Man.

198So I learned a lot about her project and it really allowed me to kind of not be afraid to ask questions and to put myself out there.

199So that inspired me to contact Amy Ross, who is my current mentor.

200And I remember writing her like a couple of emails saying, hey, I'm not really good at this whole networking thing, but I just want to say that I'm super interested in the work that you're doing.

201And I mean, you're building spacesuits, which is amazing.

202And I don't come from an engineering background.

203I have a lot of like theoretical math.

204So I knew that I had a lot of gaps, but I asked for her advice and eventually she reached out to me and she's like, your perseverance paid off and we're going to offer you the opportunity to intern with us.

205So it just goes to show how incredible the NASA family is and how willing they are to just give you the opportunity to learn, even though perhaps, you know, you're not an engineer like me or anything like that.

206So pretty like incredible women mentors that I've had here.

207And I'm super happy about that.

208Yeah, no, I know both of them and I will agree.

209They are both amazing.

210During my internship process, Paramitra did intern.

211She started with me as an intern as well.

212And so I knew she was in her master's program and her dissertation was on like the Iron Man display for astronauts.

213And I just thought that was the coolest thing I had heard of.

214And I was like, she's an engineer.

215She is a former beauty pageant contestant.

216But like, you know, and it just was like, it was mind blowing.

217I was just like, this is what we represent, you know.

218And I thought that everything she brought to the table was something that was amazing.

219So that is awesome.

220And Amy Ross, she's amazing as well.

221I mean, her dad's an astronaut and she's been around NASA for forever.

222And she, I'm sure, has a lot of knowledge to share with you.

223So I'm glad that you persevered.

224I think that is something that we definitely can share with other interns.

225And speaking of that, if you guys have any thoughts or words of wisdom for future interns, you guys can share those now.

226I think that, I guess, something like super important that I'm sure all the other, everyone has heard is to apply.

227I know that when I had just finished my Fulbright and I always had the dream to work at NASA, but I didn't know if I should do it.

228And I just applied.

229And I think oftentimes we're more qualified than we think we are.

230And perhaps we may not have the experience in certain areas, but asking for help and asking for advice of how to get there is super important.

231And I'm also very shy, so I have a hard time just putting myself out there.

232So I think just taking those baby steps to do that and applying is just really important because maybe you won't get in the first time.

233But, you know, if you keep applying and persevering, you'll get there.

234And once you're there, just really trying your best and, you know, learning from others, I think is super important.

235I agree.

236I completely agree.

237I know, Allison, you spoke about the imposter syndrome.

238I'm not sure about anyone else, but I've also been there where you're thinking, like, I have to be the imposter syndrome.

239Like, you know, and you're like, I don't belong.

240You know, I think we've all been there at some point.

241But I think you made a great point that, you know, like, no one expects you to know it all.

242But if you're willing to learn and if you're willing to ask the right question, you can, you know, go further.

243You can get the job done.

244So I think that's awesome.

245Dylan, Allison, if you guys have any words of wisdom for our future interns, please share them.

246Echoing off of Noemi, just apply.

247Because if you never ask, then the answers always know.

248And you really only need one yes.

249So if you keep applying, then your chances are going to be a lot greater.

250And also a second piece of advice I have is don't be afraid to fail.

251Because definitely when I first started, I was just like, yeah, I have to do everything perfectly.

252Everything has to be done a certain way.

253But in reality, we're all super young.

254We're all starting out on NASA journey.

255And failing is actually one of the best ways to learn and grow.

256So, yeah, just don't be afraid to fail.

257And also, yeah, keep applying.

258Yeah, definitely.

259So I first would say that for those applying or even partly interested, please do so.

260I want to see more interns that look like this panel right here, as diverse as it is.

261So like you mentioned earlier, it's an equal representation does matter.

262And then two, I mean, I don't have a traditional engineering background.

263But there are so many areas of NASA that you can affect and impact.

264So, you know, don't let that deter you from applying.

265And just know that there's something out there for everybody.

266Well, I think that's awesome.

267Words of wisdom from you all.

268I honestly do think like diversity and inclusion is definitely something that NASA is aiming for.

269And internships come in all shapes and sizes.

270I mean, like I said, I don't have a background in public affairs or communications or digital media for that matter.

271But it was something that I took an interest in as an intern.

272And luckily, I got the opportunity to come back full time doing public affairs.

273I have a background in business and psychology before that.

274So if it's something you're interested in and it's something that you think you could be good at or you can even learn, apply.

275I will agree with you guys on that.

276So I think that's all from the panel today.

277Thank you.

278Thank you.

279Hey, thanks for sticking around.

280I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did.

281I was very happy to bring it on Houston.

282We have a podcast today.

283If you're interested in becoming an intern based on this conversation, maybe you're curious about the different opportunities.

284I've got a couple of websites for you.

285Intern.nasa.gov or pathways.jsc.nasa.gov.

286Don't worry if you didn't memorize that.

287Just go to our episode web page.

288We'll have the links right there for you to take us where you want to go.

289The 200th episode of Houston.

290We have a podcast is coming up next week.

291This is episode 199.

292Very proud to be bringing that episode to you.

293We just recorded a live version of that episode earlier this week.

294If you want to check that out, go follow us on Facebook.

295That's the NASA Johnson Space Center page of Facebook there.

296We did a live recording.

297And don't worry if you missed it and you just want to get the audio-only version, don't worry.

298That's coming next week.

299But you can check it out on the Facebook page if you'd like.

300You can check us out and the many other NASA podcasts at nasa.gov slash podcast.

301Listen to any of our episodes in no particular order.

302If you have a question for us, use the hashtag AskNASA on the NASA Johnson Space Center pages of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

303When you ask the question or submit an idea for the show, just make sure to mention it for us.

304At Houston, we have a podcast.

305The content for this episode was recorded on February 5th, 2021.

306Thanks, as always, to Alex Perryman, Pat Ryan, Norm Moran, Belinda Pulido, and Jennifer Hernandez.

307Thanks to Abel Morelos and Veronica Seil for connecting us with this chat and to the folks that made it happen.

308Of course, to Shaniqua Vereen, Naoma Sepulveda, Dylan Gladney, and Allison Chu for sharing their experiences.

309Give us a rating and feedback on whatever platform you're listening to us on and tell us what you think of the show.

310We'll be back next week with episode 200.

311We'll be back next week with episode 200.

312We'll be back next week with episode 200.

313We'll be back next week with episode 200.

314We'll be back next week with episode 200.