During my NCAS experience, I felt happy to be a part of a community of community college students around the U.S. who all are in a similar boat. The NCAS staff were welcoming and inspirational, sharing their personal journeys while inspiring and uplifting everyone. In mission 1, I learned about NASA’s mission directorates, and their past, present and future explorations. Mission 2 was a group project where I simulated a mission for Mars' habitat. Additionally, current interns and staff shared their inspiring stories.

My NCAS experience was one of my highlights for this semester and I encourage anyone who is interested or curious about NASA to apply! They employ a variety of positions such as computer, mechanical, electrical, and systems engineer jobs to project managers, budget analysts, astronauts, astrophysicists, geologists, biologists, chemists, etc. If any of these careers interest you, I believe it would be a great experience. Mission 3 is planned to take place in the summer of 2024. It will be a 3 week hybrid/onsite capstone project with a NASA field center(one in the U.S.) and I’m currently looking forward to it!

My experience with MESA has been powerfully transformative. As a brown woman in STEM, attending school can be isolating in being around people so different from me. While being introverted makes it challenging for me to socialize, becoming a part of this group has helped me connect and open up to my talented and delightful brothers and sisters at MESA-sponsored events.

One of the most amazing experiences I had was at the SHPEtinas conference at the University of Washington in Seattle. I was so happy to see a room full of such accomplished women, who looked like me and were also pursuing their dreams in STEM. It was inspiring to listen to the speakers there, hear their experiences in the field, and learn more about what a very bright future could look like for us all.

Attending the 2025 Silicon Valley Women in Engineering conference and Women in STEM Leadership 2025 has shown me first hand on how crucial and meaningful it is to have MESA - they provide those critical connections in the community through individual relationships, mentoring and support for all.

MESA, Raiida and her team have continuously reached out, checked in on me, helped me with charting my academic path, and assisted me with reaching my ultimate goal of transferring to San Jose State for the fall of 2025. They have opened so many doors for me and I’m proud to have stepped through those doors with them. It has been a great honor to be a part of this community who I now consider my family!

Landing my first internship as a first-year student with no experience still feels surreal. Reflecting on it, I realize MESA played an undeniable role in making it happen.

The community, support and resources MESA provides are invaluable. MESA uplifts all students, even those who aren't directly part of MESA. One of the great resources available to MESA students are talks about upcoming internships. It was through one of these talks that I landed my internship at SLAC, a particle accelerator at Stanford funded by the Department of Energy.

Being able to put a face to the internships I applied to helped me stay motivated during the application process; the application required a mountain of personal statements. Although I didn't think I would land the opportunity, the MESA counselors encouraged me to apply to get my name out there. Now, thanks to the help of MESA, I’m thrilled to say I’ll be planning to spend my summer at Stanford.