This is one among a collection of videos and essays from women who contribute to NASA’s mission. They are part of the agency’s efforts to create a collaborative and supportive community of women at the agency, inspire girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to encourage openness and accountability at NASA.

One of my greatest accomplishments that I am most proud of is developing a web development training module to expose the younger generation to website programming. Since 1999, I have taught web development classes to hundreds of elementary and middle school students in two of NASA Goddard’s education outreach programs, SISTER (Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering and Research) and SUNBEAMS (Students United with NASA Becoming Enthusiastic About Math and Science). During these training sessions, students are provided with hands-on experience in developing a web page while learning basic hypertext mark-up language programming concepts. Each year the excitement and passion is rekindled as I continue to teach this class and share the skills that I am obtaining with the younger generation. In the future, I hope to build on this experience and develop new educational opportunities to share what I have learned with others. Sharing my knowledge and experience with the younger generation has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my work career.

One valuable lesson I have learned in life thus far is that you should never stop learning because it is the gateway to living life beyond limits. When we stop learning we limit ourselves and we hinder our growth. Because of my desire for learning, I am the first one in my family to receive an Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Secondly, we should strive towards excellence and be the best that we can be. One of my favorite sayings that motivate me goes like this:

Good, better, best
Never let it rest
Until your good is better
And your better is best

Just like there are no boundaries in outer space, we should not allow boundaries or road blocks such as past experiences, mistakes, doubts or procrastination prevent us from being the very best person we can become. Take each life experience and use it as a stepping-stone to boost you to your next destination.

My many positions at NASA Goddard have been very enriching, fulfilling and exciting. I am grateful for the growth opportunities that I have received along this journey. I feel like a caterpillar transforming into a beautiful butterfly. I continue to look forward to new experiences that will propel me to the next level on my journey. I am honored and blessed to be a member of the NASA family.