"My mom had to leave school after 9th grade to support her family, but she always emphasized the importance of education. And with a lot of sacrifices, got us an encyclopedia in Spanish, 'Enciclopedia de Las Ciencias'. By getting that encyclopedia for us, without knowing it, my mom was my first mentor because she introduced me to science. So that's what helped fall in love with physics.
"I was the first of many things. I was the only one in my whole class that decided to study physics at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. I was the first master student to do a thesis related to atmospheric physics. There was no atmospheric sciences and meteorology in Puerto Rico, I saw the need and potential, so I started the first student chapter of the American Meteorological Society in Puerto Rico. I was the first one to get a PhD in atmospheric physics from the program and there have been so many firsts since then.
"I'm leading by example. I don't want the people who look like me to experience what I experienced because I was alone many times. And there's a saying that says you cannot be what you can't see.
"So, I'm not just doing science. I'm doing Science with Purpose, and my purpose is to be the voice for those who are underrepresented in science, open doors and opportunities and help them understand that they have a space in science."
- Dr. Yaíta Luna-Cruz, Program Executive, Earth Science Division, NASA Headquarters
Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
Interviewer: NASA/Jessica Salani
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