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My Origin Story: NASA Engineers Video Series

Home/Watch, Listen, Learn/My Origin Story: NASA Engineers Video Series

Inspiring short videos showcasing NASA’s engineers from various fields sharing the personal experiences and inspirations that led them to pursue a career in engineering. Each video features a different engineer, providing a unique and intimate glimpse into their journey from childhood dreams to professional achievements.

Week 1

 

Pooja Jesrani

International Space Station Flight Director
NASA Johnson Space Center

 

Growing up, Pooja Jesrani was exposed to astronomy and the arts thanks to her parents. Now a flight director for Mission Control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Jesrani helps choreograph spacecraft operations at the International Space Station, makes sure astronauts are safe, and inspires the next generation of engineers.

 

 

Joseph Connolly

Deputy for Electrified Aircraft Technology Integration
NASA Glenn Research Center

 

A television special about NASA captured Joseph Connolly’s imagination when he was five years old. The fascination stayed, leading him to study aerospace engineering in college.

Today, Connolly is deputy project manager of technology for the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration Project at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. In his role, he helps develop technologies to support next-generation commercial aircraft.

 

 

Liliana Villarreal

Artemis II Landing and Recovery Director
Exploration Ground Systems Program
NASA Kennedy Space Center

 

It was a childhood trip to Kennedy Space Center in Florida that sparked Liliana Villarreal’s interest in engineering. Today, Villarreal is the landing and recovery director for Artemis II, the first mission of the Artemis campaign to send humans around the Moon and bring them safely back home.

 

 

Nicholas Jedrich

Chief Engineer
NASA Science Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters

 

For Nicholas Jedrich, it’s the people at NASA who motivate him. At Headquarters in Washington, Jedrich supports the development and operations of NASA’s vast portfolio of science missions, from studying our home planet to exploring the origins of the universe.