My road in life has been direct.
Immigrated to the U.S. from Israel at age 11; was an "awkward kid," had an accent, "didn't dress right."
Retreated into her studies; realized she was a smart kid, a good student, took pride in that.
Knew she wanted to go into biology when she had to dissect a cow heart in high school-loved it, understood how it worked, explained it to others.
Started working at a pharmaceutical company; while networking, she was offered a position at the National Space Biomedical Research Facility.
Felt like she had "stagnated" after eight years at the pharmaceutical company, so immediately took this new opportunity.
The research facility tries to innovate ways to foster life in space; along the way, it also revolutionizes life for people in rural areas.
Says the biggest mistake students make is to continue studying things they don't love: "you end up with a Ph.D. in chemistry and you're miserable."
"If you're not excited to every day you come to work, stop. It's okay to stop"; says she's grown the guts to walk away if she's not happy.
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