They said “That’s too hard”… I said “Watch Me”My Journey from Solar Panels to NASA

People told me that working at NASA was impossible for someone like me. But dreams do not care where you come from, how much money you have, or how long the journey takes. Mine took 28 years: with faith in God, hard work, and the decision to focus on how to achieve things instead of my limitations.”

The Dream

I still remember being a kid, looking up at the sky and dreaming of working at NASA surrounded by big and powerful equipment. I was around 7 years old when my grandfather took me to the movie theater to see "Apollo 13". In the scene when the space shuttle communicates with the control room, my grandfather told me "That is NASA, and if you want to work there, you have to study and work hard to get there.

His words fueled my hopes, and I really believed that one day NASA would call me to join them, but as I grew older, that dream was constantly challenged by classmates, friends, coworkers, and sometimes by some family members who were trying to bring me back to what they consider “reality,” telling me that NASA didn’t hire people like me. Honestly, being a kid and a teen, those words hurt me, but instead of crying, I used to reply, “Why not? What do those people have that I don’t have? Why cannot work at NASA? One day, tired of the criticism of people, I looked for my grandfather to cry because I felt I was alone, facing a war against an army, and I was tired of people trying to make me feel insignificant. With his love and patience, he told me the best three pieces of advice:

1)      Ask God to help you achieve all your dreams.

2)      Stop saying your plans to people and focus on what you want.

3)      If you really believe and imagine you can achieve something, you will by trusting in God and in yourself.

Again, his words comforted me. I started working in what I wanted, praying to God for help and guidance, and doing everything with the hopes of one day receiving the call from NASA to join them.

Finding a Passion

When I was about 13, my grandfather asked what I wanted to become. I didn’t understand at first, so he clarified: if I wanted to work at NASA, what kind of professional did I plan to be? For the next couple of weeks, I watched what people did for a living, hoping for inspiration, but nothing felt right. Then my grandmother told me that finding “your calling” requires quiet listening to your heart and noticing what has always sparked your curiosity or joy. I thought about the times my father took me to his work and how the motors and instruments always caught my attention, and I chose to become an engineer.

How Could Afford College?

I am from Imperial Valley, CA, and realized I had to move to San Diego to study Engineering. The costs of tuition and boarding made it difficult to afford my education. In addition to that, despite being a good student, every time I used to ask about scholarships, counselors or professors used to tell me that college is far and expensive, and I should be looking for something easier close to home, and get married. Again, I was feeling that I was alone at war, and this time I looked for wisdom with my grandmother.  She told me that I needed to put on the armor of God so I could take the stand against negativity. Using my faith as my shield, she also advised me to work with all my heart for what I wanted, and preferably in the field that I want to specialize in. But I was too young, so I started working as a writer for grad students who needed help with their essays, and that allowed me to start saving money. At 16, like many teens, I started working in retail, again with the purpose of saving all the money I could to buy a car and attend college. It wasn’t bad; it helped me to save faster.

My IBEW Start

Finally, it was time for college. I bought my very old SUV, and I enrolled in my first semester. But my money went away quickly, and now I needed to find a job that allowed me to pay for tuition and fit around my class schedule. Every semester was harder to pay for, and I didn’t know what I could do if I couldn’t have a scholarship. Overwhelmed and sad, I commented to a classmate that I had to drop out of college, and I wasn’t sure when I was going to be able to go back, and he suggested that if I wanted to earn experience and money in controls and renewable energy, I could join the IBEW.I investigated it, and everything about the union was so good to be true, and I couldn’t believe that the union was just 15 minutes away from my home and I never heard about them.

I started as a construction wireman (CW), which means being labor on solar farms in the Imperial Valley. Soon, I applied to the Inside Wireman Apprenticeship despite many people telling me “that career is too hard for a woman”, and that  “I should focus on something easier that gives me the money that I need”, that “I wouldn’t worry about money if I get married and let my husband take care of finances”. I replied to every comment, “Why can't I have it all? The love, the career, the finances, peace and joy? I didn’t listen to them, why would I take the comments of people who wanted different things and a life than I? I did not listen; I applied anyway. The process went smoothly for me, and after about 10 months, I became an apprentice. I requested a transfer to San Diego to gain more electrical experience, and they granted my request.

The "You should know this already."

Although I was happy because I finally moved to San Diego to study, some journeymen and apprentices used to tell me that, as a second-year apprentice, I lacked skills, that I should be an expert in this and that, and that I should go back to the Valley. However, instead of letting others define me, I started taking extra classes in the training center (box fill, crane and rigging, motor controls, etc.), and I used to practice pipe bending before class. All that effort improved my skills and gave me confidence and peace.

Found Help & Guidance

For me, education has been the key to prosperity. I am grateful that a few instructors and professors always helped with what I asked: pipe bending, motor controls, and control systems. When I started the Control Systems class, I mentioned to my professor Steven Steppe about my interests in controls and high voltage. He shared with me everything he knew. He also opened a class on Saturdays for me and for everyone who desired to practice in the lab or wanted to discuss electrical topics and increase our skills and knowledge. I am very thankful for that, because I used all that knowledge as an apprentice and as a journeyman, and I was often placed in the single line and the commissioning crews. I was always the only woman in those crews, and I am not the strongest or tallest, but I learned how to read the prints, learned the NEC, and I did my best to make the team and Foremen trust me and be comfortable assigning me tasks. Those skills, knowledge, and experience led to jobs that make gain the experience that made me a good fit at NASA.

Apprentice-Engineering Student Balance

Education Became My Superpower. One of the greatest lessons I learned is that education creates opportunities.

Throughout my journey, instructors, professors, and mentors shared knowledge that helped shape my career. I remain deeply grateful for every person who took the time to teach me something new.

I balanced apprenticeship training, college courses, and multiple jobs while continuing to pursue my long-term goal of working in advanced electrical and control systems.

There were moments of exhaustion and uncertainty, but I kept reminding myself why I started.

1. Faith gave me strength.

2. Education gave me tools.

3. Discipline helped me move forward.

When I graduated from my apprenticeship, I continued with my university classes. Before graduation, one of my professors requested that my classmates and I open a LinkedIn account to start putting ourselves on the market.

The NASA Call

After building experience in electrical systems, controls, renewable energy, and industrial infrastructure, something happened that changed my life forever: A recruiter from NASA Ames Research Center contacted me through LinkedIn.

At first, I thought it could not possibly be real. But after interviews, evaluations, and months of waiting, I received the opportunity I had dreamed about since childhood.

In 2023, after 28 years of believing, preparing, and refusing to quit, I finally joined NASA Ames Research Center.

Today, I have the privilege of supporting electrical systems and infrastructure that contribute to advanced research and mission operations.

Sometimes I still walk through facilities and quietly think about that little girl who watched Apollo 13 and believed that one day she would make it here.

Why am I Am Sharing This?

I am sharing this story for anyone who feels underestimated, behind, different, or uncertain about their future.

• Your starting point does not determine your destination.

• You do not need to have everything figured out today. You only need the courage to keep taking the next step forward.

• Faith requires trust in yourself and God's perfect timing.

• Dreams require sacrifice.

• Growth requires discipline.

But incredible things become possible when you continue having faith, continue learning, continue working, even when your journey takes longer than others expected.

My story is not about being fearless.

It is about refusing to surrender the vision God placed in my heart.

And if there is one thing I hope people remember from my journey, it is this:

• Never let someone else decide your future and who you should be.

• Keep learning.

• Keep working.

• Keep believing that what God put in your heart is possible for you to achieve.

And when the world says, “That’s too hard,” smile respectfully and say:

“Watch me.”