Diana Trujillo Pomerantz
Mission Lead, Mars Curiosity
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA USA
“Community college made me believe that I could do it. It’s not going to be easy, but nothing worth doing is.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationDiana Trujillo Pomerantz
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Born and raised in Colombia—says it was a “toxic environment” and that she used to worry about whether she would make it home at night.
Grew up watching "I Dream of Jeannie"—was inspired by the characters working at NASA and used to dream of working there one day.
Leaving her family behind, she came to the U.S. when she was 17 with $300 in her pocket and didn’t speak any English.
She worked four jobs, barely had money to eat, and lived out of her car, but she would never miss school—she knew that with an education she would be unstoppable.
Says that her decision to go to community college set her up for success—the small classes, attentive professors, low cost, and diversity, made her feel comfortable and believe that she could do it.
Picked her aerospace engineering major based on researching the backgrounds of female astronauts—admits that she had no idea what aerospace engineering was.
She now leads the team at NASA’s JPL in charge of the Mars Curiosity rover, a vehicle designed to study the Martian climate and geology in order to prepare for human exploration.
Says that “you have to keep pushing forward” and respect what everyone behind you has done and sacrificed in order for you to get to where you are.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Associate's Degree
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General
Miami Dade College
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General
Miami Dade College
Bachelor
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General
University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Career
Mission Lead, Mars Curiosity
I am an engineer contributing to both human & robotic space missions for NASA, most notably the Mars Curiosity Mission.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Science
Engineering
Accomplishing Goals
Day to Day
I work with my team to ensure the communications between the spacecraft and scientists on Earth runs smoothly and I oversee all aspects of the mission to ensure everyone has what they need and does a good job. My work is very "in the moment", things can go wrong very quickly and I need to be fully prepared to deal with it.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Research people that are currently working in the field you are interested in and see what schooling and experience they have so you know what paths you could take. Just keep pushing forward!
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"Maybe I shouldn't go to school. I could just start working more hours instead so that I can afford other things."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation Immigrant
Financial
Gangs / Violence
Interviewed By
One Step Closer
Success stories shaped by community college
