Chriselle Galapon
National Solar Observatory - Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope
Maui, HI USA
"At the end of the day, it's all you. Who cares what other people think? You have to do what makes you happy."
Career Roadmap
Chriselle's work combines: Engineering, Technology, and Building Things
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I wasn't interested in medical school. I enjoy mechanics and making things much more. I just had to trust my instincts and go for it.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Mechanical Engineering
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
When she was in high school, she took place in competitions building bridges, small planes, and rockets.
2.
But when she started at community college, she didn’t really know what she wanted to do with her life.
3.
Her family really wanted her to go to medical school, but she just felt lost.
4.
When she transferred into the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, she thought she wanted to go into mechanical engineering.
5.
The program proved to be difficult, so she took a year off; the break made her realize how much she missed engineering.
6.
After returning and graduating, she wanted to stay near her family, but was worried there weren’t many opportunities for engineers in Maui.
7.
She joined the Akamai Workforce Initiative, a networking/mentoring program for Hawaii’s scientific and technical workforce.
8.
Through Akamai, she was able to find a career on Maui, working on the construction of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Parents:
You should go to medical school.
How I responded:
I wasn't interested in medical school. I enjoy mechanics and making things much more. I just had to trust my instincts and go for it.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Moving to Hawaii from the Philippines there was a language barrier which I was able to overcome with the help of the ESL programs in school and teachers who spent extra time going over text that I had difficulty understanding.