SERVICES CENTER AT STENNIS SPACE CENTER.

I'M A MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM ANALYST

AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU MY STORY.

I GREW UP IN NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA,

MY FATHER WAS A MUSICIAN AND PLAYED

IN THE FRENCH QUARTER EVERY WEEKEND

AND I REALLY HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF GOING WITH MY FAMILY

TO THE CITY AND LISTENING TO HIM PLAY ON THE WEEKENDS.

I THOUGHT I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN ENGINEER.

I REALLY LIKED MATH AND SCIENCE AND I ACTUALLY TOOK ADVANCED

CLASSES IN THOSE SUBJECTS.

I WAS ALSO ELECTED BY ONE OF MY TEACHERS

IN HIGH SCHOOL TO WORK WITH THE SOCIETY

OF WOMEN ENGINEERS.

THAT WAS A REALLY AWESOME EXPERIENCE

AND WORKING TOGETHER WITH OTHER ENGINEERS

GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENGINEERING FIELDS

AND WHAT I MIGHT WANT TO STUDY IN ADVANCED STUDIES.

THERE ARE SO MANY POSITIONS THAT NASA OFFERS,

YES YOU CAN BE AN ASTRONAUT IF YOU WANT TO,

YOU CAN ALSO BE A SECRETARY IF YOU WANT TO.

THERE ARE 18,000 POSITIONS AT NASA.

THERE ARE PROGRAMS YOU CAN GET INTO

WHEN YOU'RE ACTUALLY STILL IN SCHOOL--IN HIGH SCHOOL

AND IN COLLEGE.

THEY CAN HELP YOU TO NOT ONLY DETERMINE WHETHER

OR NOT YOU WANT TO WORK FOR NASA BUT IF IT'S THE RIGHT FIT

FOR YOU, BUT I PROMISE YOU IT WILL BE,

IT'S AN AWESOME AGENCY.

THERE IS JUST NOTHING LIKE TELLING PEOPLE

THAT YOU WORK FOR NASA.

I WAS ON VACATION AND SOMEONE HAPPENED

TO SEE MY BADGE AND THEY SAID,

'OH YOU WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT?'

AND I SAID 'YES I DO, I WORK FOR NASA.'

AND PEOPLE ARE JUST AWED BY THAT.

WHAT NASA DOES IS SO UNIQUE... YOU KNOW THEY ARE A GOVERNMENT

AGENCY BUT THERE'S NO OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY LIKE NASA

AND WHAT THEY DO AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE

FOR THIS COUNTRY AND FOR RESEARCH.

I ACTUALLY BEGAN WORKING FOR NASA

THROUGH A COLLEAGUE OF MINE.

HE GAVE ME A CALL AND TOLD ME A LITTLE BIT

ABOUT THE NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER.

IT'S A CONSOLIDATED SERVICES CENTER

IN WHICH IT DOES ADMINISTRATIVE TYPE FUNCTIONS FOR NASA

WHICH LEAVES NASA, THE 10 CENTERS THROUGHOUT

THE UNITED STATES, THE ABILITY TO DO MORE

MISSION-ORIENTED TYPE WORK.

GOING TO MARS AND THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF RESEARCH

THAT THEY DO.

SO THAT WAS PRETTY EXCITING BEING AROUND NASA

ALL THOSE YEARS AND NOW MAYBE HAVING AN OPPORTUNITY

TO WORK AND HELP THOSE MISSIONS REALLY BECOME A REALITY.

ONE OF THE ONE OF THE THINGS

THAT THE NASA SHARED SERVICES CENTER DOES IS IT CONSOLIDATES

ALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE-TYPE WORK AND ALLOWS NASA

THE DIFFERENT MISSIONS...

THERE ARE 10 CENTERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES

AND THIS ALLOWS THEM TO FOCUS ON MISSION CRITICAL

TYPE WORK AND ALLOWS US TO DO THE ADMINISTRATIVE TYPE WORK

SO YOU'RE ALLOWING THEM TO FOCUS ON THE MISSION AT HAND FOR NASA

INSTEAD OF WRITING A PURCHASE ORDER OR BALANCING THEIR SF-224.

I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT I'VE ALWAYS BEEN TREATED VERY FAIRLY.

I'VE NEVER REALLY HAD ANY PROBLEMS

WITH FEELING THAT BECAUSE I WAS A WOMAN

OR BECAUSE I WASN'T A MAN THAT I DIDN'T GET

THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT I FELT I DESERVED.

KEEP AT IT,

STAY FOCUSED,

STAY DEDICATED,

RIGHT NOW YOU MAY HAVE THAT PART TIME JOB AT A FAST FOOD PLACE

OR RESTAURANT...

YOU NEED TO MAKE IT THROUGH THAT. YOU NEED TO FOCUS

ON SCHOOL AND YOU NEED TO GET YOUR DEGREE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN ASTRONAUT

IF YOU WANT TO WORK FOR NASA,

I WAS GOING TO BE AN ENGINEER,

I PROBABLY STILL HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY IF I WANTED

TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL AND FURTHER MY EDUCATION.

NASA WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD PLACE FOR ME TO GROW,

SO ALTHOUGH I'M A MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM ANALYST HERE,

THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY AT NASA

TO BE WHENEVER YOU WANT TO BE.

www.NASA.gov