I used to clean houses and today I'm trying to find out if there's life in another planet. Now, she's leaving her mark on Mars. On February 18, 2021, Trujillo hosted the first ever Spanish-language NASA transmission of a planetary landing, for the Perseverance rover landing on Mars. Complimentary membership for all qualified undergraduates/graduates of the institution. The part I enjoy the least is the long stretches between project milestones where youre tired and mentally exhausted from dealing with the same problem for weeks on end. Trujillo married Will Pomerantz in 2009. CO. She'd been keeping odd hours for weeks -- going to bed at 2 p.m., waking up a few hours later, heading into work. From Cali to Mars | Career | Professional accomplishments | Beyond NASA. Receive our weekly newsletter packed with insights, tools and more. What I have enjoyed the most from my career is getting to work with a team that works on insane projects. This is us trying to understand how we will use the hardware and the software to get it to do what we want to do on the surface of Mars. The MMRTG will be inserted into the aft end of the r Students took part in a NASA "You've Got Perseverance" event to honor them for overcoming academic challenges. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. De Cali a Marte: el camino que recorri Diana Trujillo para liderar una misin espacial. The 10 sample tubes being dropped on Mars surface so they can be studied on Earth in the future carry an amazing diversity of Red Planet geology. she said. "I hope that within the one year of surface operations on Mars, we can answer that question soon.". It was just more like, 'I'm glad that I have a job and I can buy food and have a house to sleep.' Also included are the locations where all of NASA's other successful Mars mission About 1000 Viking Orbiter red- and violet-filter images have been processed to provide global color coverage of Mars at a scale of 1 km/pixel. Brooke Owens Fellowship. YOU HAVE 10,000 FOLLOWERS: Was honored with the Cruz de Boyac in 2021 by the President of Colombia. "Understanding if we're alone in the universe is the ultimate question," she said. 3060 S Monaco Pkwy, While studying at the university, she decided to apply for the NASA Academy, being the first Hispanic immigrant woman admitted to the program. 3:00 pm at On the flip side of working on such intense projects is the reality that sometimes your hardware breaks, you miss lunch, and theres a lot of stress involved in accomplishing the mission. She enrolled in English as a Second Language course, worked three jobs as a housekeeper, and . [7] During her work at the Academy, she met NASA robots expert Brian Roberts, who convinced her to move to Maryland with the aim of increasing her chances in the Aerospace industry. Diana Trujillo. [10] In order to improve her language skills, she started English lessons at Miami Dade College while working as a housekeeper, among other jobs. For me, the question was How do we make sure the whole community is engaged and understanding the human presence in space? Juntos Perseveramos, for me, was what was missing. Genealogy profile for Diana Trujillo. With the Brooke Owens Fellowship, we want to show students all aspects of the space industry that students can contribute to while getting a paid internship at an aerospace-related company. (August 13, 2021). In her spare time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, watching The Bachelor, and reading psychological thrillers. Now, she knows whenever she's working as one of the surface flight directors for Perseverance, she's representing more than just herself. Email Address: d MCLB @aol.com +8 emails. We'd boil an egg and we'd cut it in half, and that was our lunch that day," she said. Two holes are visible in the rock, nicknamed Rochette, from which NASAs Perseverance rover obtained its first core samples. When she immigrated to the United States, she spoke little to no English and had to work full . But what made the news all around Latin America was the name of the flight director: Diana Trujillo. She is an advocate for diversity in STEM providing weekly updates on the Perseverance mission in both English and Spanish. There was a lot of violence going on in my country so for me looking up at the sky and looking at the stars was my safe place. When she immigrated to the United States, she spoke little to no English and had to work full-time while attending college. Reception will be held on March 21, 2019 at 3:00 pm at Risen Christ Catholic . This image of NASA's Mars Perseverance rover shows a plate fastened to the rover aft crossbeam (lower right) with three fingernail-sized chips stenciled with nearly 11 million names of Earthlings. Diana K Trujillo, Age 68. aka Diana K Stroh. Diana Trujillo. Payed myself through college and eventually applied to be working here. Olinger Hampden Mortuary, Cremation & Cemetery, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Her first feature film was The Hidden Face (2011). ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "The abuelas, the moms or dads, the uncles, los primos, like everyone has to see this," she told CBS News. She obtained a bachelors degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland. I learned English. years old, 8986 1629 K Street, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 Contact Us (202) 827-9798, Join AWISDonateCareer CenterThe NucleusAdvertising. Her children, the light of her life, were involved in all activities that they showed interest in and their mother was always a proud. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. "I'm walking in there and every single thing that I do, I'm representing my country, my culture, my heritage, my people, and I have to give my best every single time.". She left behind all she knew and all the Colombian beauty she grew up around, for better opportunities. A UNT graduate, Diana has been with VisitDallas for six years. [5], Trujillo was born in 1983, in Cali, Colombia. Today, Dianais living that dream. Well the robotic arm is actually right behind me. Reception will be held on Because I didnt have a support system in the U.S. it was important for me to gain confidence in my ability to find out answers for myself when I was going through difficult times. Diana Trujillo woke up in a panic. With one degree from the University of Florida and another from the University of Maryland, she got her first job at NASA. Past Addresses: See available information. On February 18, 2021, the Perseverance rover landed on the red planet as a part of the Mars 2020 Mission. Risen Christ Catholic Parish, When it comes to my career, my first important choice was to learn English as quickly and as comprehensively as possible. As a child growing up in Cali, Colombia, Diana Trujillo would lie beneath the stars, look to the sky and think, "Something has to be out there that's better than this.". View Diana Trujillo's genealogy family tree on Geni, with over 230 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. Fortunately, my closest family members encouraged me to pursue my education and put my own professional aspirations first, inspiring me to attempt the hardest intellectual challenges I could possibly even think of, despite these stereotypes of what I should be. Diana M Trujillo, Age 51. She finally earned her degree as an aerospace engineer at this school. Her first goal, then, was to learn the language so she could be one step closer to her dream. While enrolled in English-as-a-second-language . Director of Digital Marketing A UNT graduate, Diana has been with VisitDallas for six years. / CBS News. [1][6] Her mother was a medical student when she got pregnant and had to leave her studies to look after her daughter. Time would tell her that it was all worth it. Its about what you feel in your heart you can do. Diana Lee Trujillo was born on month day 1953, to Hugh Lanier and Wilma Lanier. "I want to be out there looking back in, showing my family that women have value, that women matter.". Scientists will be looking for a rock to drill somewhere in this location. "It was very petrifying because you're doing this ginormously long line and every step of the way, you're [thinking] like, 'You shouldn't be here why are you here,'" she said. She's also helping to elevate and amplify her heritage, and last week, hosted NASA's first-ever Spanish language broadcast for planetary landing. NASA aerospace engineer Diana Trujillo came to the U.S. with only $300 and worked housekeeping jobs to pay for school. First-time dog owner", "Meet Diana Trujillo: Colombian Behind NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover Functions", "National Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Diana Trujillo #HispanicHeritageMonth", "Diana Trujillo, la calea que supervisa en la NASA las misiones del robot que enva informacin desde Marte", "Diana Trujillo, lder de misin del Mars Curiosity, NASA", "Who is Diana Trujillo and why is her work linked to the success of Perseverance? Current Address: NDAL Georgia St, Imperial Beach, CA. I came to the U.S. when I was 17. Phone & Email (4) All Addresses (4) Family (1) Social; Court (136) And More; Many people ask about the amount of money Diana Trujillo makes from Instagram. - Lead and conduct organizing campaigns, demonstrations, marches, trainings and meetings for job sites in the meatpacking & processing plants, grocery stores, health care, and other professional The accomplishment: she is the first Latina to lead such an important project. I was born and raised in Colombia. I see it more as every instant I need to be present because every instance matters.". Find a goal. (February 21, 2021). Her dreams of reaching space and wanting to understand the universe came as a young person in Cali, Colombia. She started working as a housekeeper to support her studies at the Miami Dade College. [46], Media related to Diana Trujillo at Wikimedia Commons, Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 21:21, "Diana Trujillo, colombiana detrs de la misin Perseverance en Marte", "Una colombiana detrs de Perserverance, la misin espacial de la NASA que explora Marte para buscar el origen de la vida", "Juntos perseveramos: El aterrizaje del rover Perseverance en Marte", "From Columbia to Mars - Behind the spacecraft - Perseverance", "Diana Trujillo, Aerospace Engineer TechCrunch", "La colombiana Diana Trujillo dirige misin de la NASA", "Trujillo - MDC College Forum - Volume 19, Number 5", "Worth the Struggle: Diana Trujillo's Journey from Colombia to NASA", "Mars Science Lab Engineer Diana Trujillo ReadingWithYourKids.com", "Celebrating Latinas in STEM: Diana Trujillo, NASA - smithsonianlvm", "NASA: Curiosity Mars Rover brush at work", "Diana Trujillo, colombiana que dirige el camino de exploracin del Curiosity - EFE Futuro Amrica", "Diana Trujillo, una colombiana jefa de misiones del Curiosity en la NASA", "Diana Trujillo: NASA Jet Propulsion Lab engineer. Members ; About . RELATED VIDEO: NASA Releases First Ever High-Speed Video Of The Perseverance Rover Landing On Mars, "As a little girl, I saw the women in my family give up a lot. Advocate for diversity in STEM, especially for Latin women and Colombian females. In 2017, Diana was named one of Los 22 Ms, the 22 Colombians who best represent Colombia and all Colombians in the USA. Like, you know how you watch a movie and you feel the excitement that a character is going through? Its an amazing organization, and I highly recommend that any undergraduate woman or gender minority check it out and apply. As a teen immigrant from Colombia, Diana Trujillo cleaned homes to pay her engineering education at the University of Florida. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Sometimes I feel like my job is a movie that Im watching, and I have to remind myself that this is real, and Im just going to work. [24] In 2014, Trujillo was promoted to Mission Lead. It was just more like, 'I'm glad that I have a job and I can buy food and and have a house to sleep.' After completing my degree, I went on to work for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on Curiosity and Perseverance, and I am currently the Flight Director and Robotic Arm System domain lead for the Mars Perseverance mission. "When I arrived in the United States, my goal was to help Mom. When NASA's Perseverance rover successfully landedon Mars last week, aerospace engineer Diana Trujillo, who is a flight director on the mission, said in an interview with CBS News that it took her some time to process that it had arrived on the red planet. And so, at 17 years old, Trujillo kissed her family goodbye and boarded a plane to Miami. She Retrieved from http://www.brookeowensfellowship.org/diana-trujillo, El Pas. Ten sample tubes, capturing an amazing variety of Martian geology, have been deposited on Mars surface so they could be studied on Earth in the future. Find a contribution that you want to make, regardless of whether a job exists for this specific contribution or whether you have the prerequisites yet to attain this goal. In an interview with El Pas de Cali, her home citys biggest newspaper, Diana says that you dont need to be a genius or have tons of postgraduate degrees to work at NASA. All Rights Reserved. All Rights Reserved. Arriving with only $300 in her pocket and speaking no English, she tells CNN that the plan was simple. [31], She has been involved in several initiatives to inspire young women from Latin America and African-American women to pursue a career in science and engineering. Diana Trujillo is a 43 years old art from Colombia from Cali. Here are the top "Images of the Week"for 2021. [7] Trujillo was responsible for the communications between the spacecraft and scientists on Earth. Trujillo is now part of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and worked on the team that created the robotic arm that will collect rock samples on Mars. To pursue my educational dreams, I moved to the United States at 17 years old. Diana was born and raised in Cali, Colombia. So, that they can turn around to the younger generation and say she can do it, you can do it.". Dianaisa passionate advocate for diversity in STEM, having pushed for more inclusion of the Latin@community in venues ranging from the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics to the educational programPlazaSsamo(Sesame Street).Dianaserves as an executiveofthe Brooke Owens Fellowship, an award-winning,highly competitive program that provides internship and mentorship to extraordinary undergraduate women seeking careers in aviation or space exploration; a memberof theTECHNOLOchicascampaign to raise awareness among young Latinas and their families about opportunities and careers in technology; amember of the boardof the Columbia Memorial Space Center, a science center open to the public and based in a predominantly Latin@ community; and a member of the board of the Childrens Center at Caltech, a center that is revolutionizing early child development education. She joined the Fellowships executive team in 2020. Fortunately, my closest family members encouraged me to pursue my education and put my own professional aspirations first, inspiring me to attempt the . She worked housekeeping jobs to pay for her studies and later joined NASA in 2007. My arrival at the personal philosophy to always pursue the hardest challenges possible was born out of wanting to prove to myself and everybody else that I was fully capable of achieving professional success. What we're trying to do is to rove around the surface of this unknown planet to try to find out if at some point there was life on the surface of Mars. Join Facebook to connect with Diana Trujillo and others you may know. [21] She has also been Flight Ground Systems Engineer and Vehicle System Testbed Mars Surface Lead. What advice/resources would you share with the next generation following a similar career path? Diana will always be remembered as a wonderful mother who put her children first. "I hope that within the one year of surface operations on Mars, we can answer that question soon.". In Colombia, people werent able to be engaged in these events as they were happening because they had to wait for the stories to come out and be translated into Spanish. They were missing out on feeling like they not only witnessed history, but were a part of it. When she moved to the U.S. from Colombia, NASA-JPL engineer Diana Trujillo didn't speak English. Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images, NASA's "Perseverance" team led by women and minority scientists, Mars rover reaches fertile terrain in search for clues about past life, NASA begins search for ancient life on Mars, Wreckage on Mars captured by NASA's Ingenuity helicopter, NASA confirms rover got its first-ever rock sample from Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover successfully landed, Juntos perseveramos: El aterrizaje del rover Perseverance en Marte. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. The agencys Perseverance rover will establish the first sample depot on Mars. "I know I'm not walking in there alone," she said. I knew that the language barrier had the potential to slow me down a lot, and I needed to get rid of that barrier as quickly as possible. "And they have to see a woman in there, too. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, watching The Bachelor, and reading psychological thrillers. Current Address: DURG Broadway St, Vallejo, CA. As one of the few Hispanic women working in the field, Trujillo has never forgotten the roots that helped her get to the top of the aerospace ladder, and land her dream job at NASA. A clear goal and what she calls the strength of Colombian women helped her to do it all with a few hours of sleep. Please enable JavaScript to show the Articles By Author listings. Composed of 84 enhanced-color images, this mosaic features a rovers-eye view of the South Stah geologic unit of Mars Jezero Crater. | Privacy Policy | Terms. "Understanding if we're alone in the universe is the ultimate question," Trujillo, an aerospace engineer, told CBS News. Overall, though, Id say working with a stellar team is by far the best part of my job. Board member of the Childrens Center at Caltech. Diana Trujillo, la ingeniera latina que sigue haciendo historia en la NASA. Just being in the room for that experience was really powerful. Trujillo hopes to one day reach space, but she feels a special calling in helping bring more women in science and engineering. She is also the Robotic Arm System lead for the Mars Perseverance mission. "Understanding if we're alone in the universe is the . But what made the news all around Latin America was the name of the flight director: Diana Trujillo. According to the Student Research Foundation, Hispanics hold only 8% of the STEM workforce of which Hispanic women only comprise 2%. As a Colombian who now lives in the U.S., I'm aware that these amazing feats that have gone on in space, from the moon landing to Mars missions, are only observed by a few countries in real-time. "Are we safe? She also noticed the line was filled with people who didn't speak Spanish nor looked Hispanic, and she was one of the few women on the queue. "I remember just laying down on the grass and looking at the sky and thinking, 'Something has to be out there that's better than this. To date, my biggest career accomplishment was creating and hosting Juntos Perseveramos, a Spanish broadcast of the Perseverance mission in March. NASAs Ingenuity Mars Helicopter takes off and lands in this video captured on April 25, 2021, by Mastcam-Z, an imager aboard NASAs Perseverance Mars rover. She told TechCrunch in 2018 that she grew up with the mindset that it was the woman's place to take care of the men in the family, and that her mother dropped out of med school when she met Trujillo's father and became pregnant with her. And I feel like such a lucky person to be working on this. UNLOCK PROFILE. My name is Diana Trujillo and I work with robotic arms to collect samples on Mars. Our Executive Mentors. Learn More. 3060 S Monaco Pkwy, The exhaustion hits often, and it hits hard. NASAs Perseverance Mars rover will abrade the rock at the center of this image, allowing scientists and engineers to assess whether it would hold up to the rovers more powerful sampling drill. My second best career accomplishment was getting the opportunity to work as Flight Director for helicopter deployment. Once you get to a place where everyone in the room is an expert, you have this crazy feeling that nothing is impossible. From learning English, I realized that I had the ability to learn, and between that realization and the security I gained from finding work and a place to live, I wasnt in survival mode anymore. [6] She was responsible for ensuring Curiosity's sampling fulfilled its science objectives dust-free whilst maintaining operational safety. She was buried in 1996, at burial place. In addition to her technical accomplishments,Diana also created and hosted thefirst ever Spanish-language live broadcast of aMars Landing, attracting a global audience of millions. '", Photo: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty, Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP/Shutterstock, Touch Down! [11], Trujillo enrolled initially at the University of Florida to pursue studies in aerospace engineering,[7] inspired by a magazine article about the role of women working on aerospace missions and having self-confidence in her strong mathematical skills. While Diana Trujillo was going to UF, she got accepted at the NASA Academy. What about your career have you enjoyed the most and least?. Trujillo believes the way to break the glass ceiling is to have more role models. Growing up in Colombia, there was this notion that women were limited in terms of what they could accomplish intellectually and professionally. Christopher Brito is a social media manager and trending content writer for CBS News. [13] In 2007, she earned a bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland. Trujillo is now part of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and worked on the team that created the robotic arm that will collect rock samples on Mars. Shealsostarted and hostedMartes deMartevideo series, providingSpanish-language updates of Mars missions. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new restaurants, watching The Bachelor, and reading psychological thrillers. She currently leads the engineering team at JPL responsible for the robotic arm of the Perseverance rover. So, what did Diana do did to make her dream come true? Im thrilled to be part of the executive team of the Brooke Owens Fellowship, which is an organization thats geared toward women and gender minorities to, honestly, kick down the door of whatever is holding us back from bringing everybodys ideas to the table. When she moved to the U.S. from Colombia, NASA-JPL engineer Diana Trujillo didn't speak English. Growing up in Columbia, she dreamed of working for NASA. This annotated image of Jezero Crater depicts the routes for Perseverances first science campaign (yellow hash marks)as well as its second (light-yellow hash marks). She was named one of Los 22 Ms (the 22 Colombians who best represent Colombia) and Comendador of Orden de Boyac by the President of Colombia (Colombias highest civilian honor). The second choice I made was to pursue my educational studies relentlessly. Diana Trujillo Movies (6) There are 6 movies of Diana Trujillo. They have two children. Her first feature film was The Hidden Face (2011). Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. This video from NASAs Perseverance rover shows increasingly close views of an abraded rock at Wildcat Ridge in Mars Jezero Crater, an area scientists consider one of the best places to search f NASAs Perseverance Mars rover used its Mastcam-Z camera system to create this panorama of its first drill site. Since 2011, she has appeared in 6 feature films. $35 per post at $7/CPM. 2023 Association for Women in Science. You can either come in with tons of internship and research experience in space, or know nothing about space. To date, the broadcast has over 2.6 million views on YouTube, which exceeded all of our expectations.. 2:00 pm at Sep 30, 2021. . Diana Trujillois a Space Explorer and Aerospace Engineer who worked on Mars rovers todetermine if ancient life everexistedon the surface of Mars. And so, I think that all of those things make me, and even today, helps me see life differently. But it was in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory where she experienced her most significant professional growth. When she moved to the U.S. from Colombia, NASA-JPL engineer Diana Trujillo didnt speak English. She believes more visibility of Latinos in STEM will allow families to encourage younger members to follow in those steps, rather than stereotypical roles men and women have been told to follow. No money. At the age of seventeen, just one day after graduating from high school in Colombia, Trujillo immigrated to the United States to pursue her dream of one day working for NASA. A Space Talent Spotlight Series Interview with Diana Trujillo, Flight Director and Robotic Arm System domain lead for the Mars Perseverance mission at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) . To put herself through community college, she secured a housekeeping job, and was able to transfer to the University of Florida, where she majored in aerospace engineering.