When I was 11, I came to JPL for the 2004 Open House, which was only a few months after the landing of Spirit and Opportunity.

My mom took me to a talk led by a woman who was in mission control during the landing of the rovers, and she played a video of the landing. The landing video and her enthusiasm were so inspiring, that I asked the woman during Q&A, "How do I get your job?" I talked with the woman afterward, and she told me to work hard, take every science class I could and to never give up.

In my 11-year-old mind, I somehow understood the importance of space exploration. From then on, I knew I wanted to be part of NASA missions, particularly for Mars, and so far, I think I'm heading in the right direction.

TAGS: #InspiredBy, Student Stories, JPL Tours, Internships & Fellowships

• ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Sophia Acevedo, Student, Carnegie Mellon University

  Sophia Acevedo graduated from Dickinson College in 2014 with a Bachelor's in physics and religion and continued toward a Master's in mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. She interned at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for five summers with the James Webb Space Telescope project.