14:39 | Puno (Puno region), May. 25.
Joined by a group of fellow NASA Hispanic colleagues, Peruvian aerospace engineer Jackelynne Silva-Martinez is promoting a scholarship program for national students to intern at the United States space agency, she revealed.
Silva-Martinez, currently back in her homeland for a series of talks, explained her team seeks to implement an internship program.
In the case of the Inca country, the team coordinates with the State-run National Council for Science, Technology and Technological Innovation (Concytec).
Remarks were made during a visit to South-Andean Puno region, where the engineer shared her vocation and professional experience with young students.
Motivating youth
Addressing students at Puno's High Performance School (COAR), Silva-Martinez opened up about her personal experience as a Cusco-born public school student who migrated to the U.S. at age 15.
Years later, she graduated as an aerospace engineer. The rest is history.
"I feel fulfilled regarding my aerospace career; working on a space mission was a dream of mine since I was a little girl […]," she expressed while highlighting big things take effort and dedication.
Having shared her journey, she advised the young students to visualize where they want to go and work hard to get there.
"If that does not work, then look for other job alternatives that make you happy," she pointed out.
A success story
Jackelynne currently works at NASA Johnson Space Center in the ISS and Orion Mission Planning Operations within the Flight Operations Directorate, she reveals on her website.
The aerospace engineer has also worked as a Mechanical Engineer and Test Operator at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Robotic Manipulators and Deployable Booms group, performing verification and validation ground tests for the Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity Rover mission.
(END) JCB/MAO/DHT/MVB
Published: 5/25/2017