From Colombia to the Red Planet with Diana Trujillo, JPL Flight Director for the Mars Perseverance Rover.
On this episode of The Adrenaline Zone, James “Sandy” Winnefeld and Sandra Magnus are joined by Diana Trujillo, JPL Flight Director for the Mars Perseverance Rover.
Diana was born in Colombia and her journey to becoming the flight director for the Perseverance mission involved quite a bit of her own perseverance. She started school while still speaking very little English, but her intelligence was immediately apparent, and her commitment to her studies catapulted her to a degree in aerospace engineering.
STEM careers have been, like so many industries, historically dominated by men. Pursuing a leadership role at NASA as an ethnic minority woman would have seemed a fruitless endeavor to many in Diana’s shoes, but her determination to accomplish difficult tasks knows no bounds. Diana now seeks to be a role model who can inspire others to pursue their own passions.
With no English and just $300 in her pocket, Diana risked it all to pursue an education and career in engineering, but her own perseverance allowed her to rise to the occasion and become an inspiration to women and girls all over the world.
Resources:
Diana Trujillo - Twitter
NASA - LinkedIn
Sandra Magnus - Twitter
This episode is sponsored by Dunkin’.
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