♪
When I was in high school
preparing for college,
I told my science teacher
that I wanted
to study engineering.
I was planning to be
an astronaut.
See, when I was a two-year-old,
my favorite outfit
was this astronaut onesie that
my mom found at a yard sale.
(chuckles)
I used to wear it all the time,
that I became known in my family
as the Little Astronaut.
And I remember one of my uncles
used to carry me
upside down over his head
to simulate space walks.
(laughter)
Later, when I was learning
how to read,
my grandmother introduced me
to the story
of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
and his first orbit
around the planet.
I think from that story,
and maybe an episode
of "Goosebumps," my...
(laughter)
...my favorite imaginary place,
my place to go to feel safe,
became the surface
of another planet,
with a view of Earth
at a distance.
By the time I was
in high school,
I had spent the last ten years
of my life moving back and forth
between Mexico,
my mom's home in Mexico,
and my aunt and uncle's home
in California.
During this time,
I had to adapt and adjust
to the different parents,
and a different home,
different siblings, new schools,
new friends, and new culture.
So the hardest part for me
was to adjust
to switching back and forth
between English and Spanish.
It became really hard for me
to communicate with others,
to make friends,
to share my feelings.
So I think this is why
I got very interested
in math and science.
See, all those numbers
and equations, they...
I could read them
in English or Spanish.
They were easy to understand
no matter what.
So when it came to applying
for college,
I came to my science teacher
and I told them...
I want to study engineering--
I plan to be an astronaut.
He looked at me confused,
and said, "Are you high?"
(laughter)
"What are you taking?
"You'll never be an astronaut.
Plus, engineering is not
for you, you're not prepared."
So he wasn't the only one.
I had other teachers, mentors,
trying to discourage me
from engineering.
Some claim,
"Engineering is not for girls."
And others told me
to have a back-up plan.
Maybe a Spanish major
was more reasonable.
I was very embarrassed 
that I shared this dream
with my teachers.
So for many years after that,
I didn't tell anybody,
but once I learned
what was required of me
to become an astronaut,
I based all my decisions
around this goal.
Even the little things,
like keeping a healthy mind
and body
and staying out of trouble.
So I went to college,
and let me tell you,
they were right--
engineering was tough,
and I wasn't prepared.
Apparently, I was the only
student in my class
who had not taken an engineering
class in high school.
I didn't know that.
So for the first time,
I had to reach out
to other students,
ask for help, get tutoring,
pull up... pull all-nighters
to get my assignments done.
I did it, and four years later,
I got my degree in engineering.
And I...
(cheers and applause)
Thank you.
Thank you.
But let me tell you,
I graduated with other...
with 25 other incredibly smart
and talented women.
So those people back
in high school were so wrong!
Engineering is totally
for girls.
(cheers and applause)
After college, I got a job
as an engineer,
and a few months later, I came
across this headline saying,
"NASA is looking for volunteers
for a one-way trip to Mars
to colonize the planet."
As soon as I saw the link,
I click,
I was trying to figure out
how to sign up,
but it was just click-bait,
and...
(laughter)
Yeah, NASA had nothing
to do with it.
So, but the idea
of going to Mars
immediately became my next goal,
like, I have to do this.
So for the months after that,
I searched the internet
for a one-way trip to Mars,
and eventually...
(laughter)
Eventually, I came
across Mars One, and yes,
they were a small company
with the goal
of sending the first humans
to Mars
to settle permanently,
and they were announcing
their application that year.
So this is it, for me, the
mission I've been dreaming of,
that I've been preparing
all my life.
It was right in front of me.
I was ready to donate my life
to science,
to become the guinea pig
to prove that human life on Mars
is possible.
In the application process,
I met my partner, R. Daniel.
Today, we are both in the top
100 astronaut candidates
for this mission,
and we live in an RV,
and we're training
for the next round
by learning
about life support systems,
space bio-med,
interacting with our friends,
or the other candidates
from around the world,
and even keeping
our tomatoes alive.
(laughter)
So just anything
that we can learn
so that one day
we can build a home on Mars.
So if we get selected
into the final 24,
we will head to Mars...
We will train
for the next ten years,
and head to Mars after 2031.
I know, it's ambitious
and even unbelievable,
but I'm telling you,
it's happening.
So for now, I will just continue
to work as a systems engineer
on the laser communication
technology,
so that one day,
I can share the rest of this
story from Mars.
Thank you.
(cheering and applause)
