My first experience within NASA was during my sophomore year of high school in the spring of 2000. My high school gave sophomores and juniors two weeks off from classes to participate in a unique learning opportunity of our choice. My mom made a few phone calls, and I was granted a week's worth of "job-shadowing" opportunities at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

Job-shadowing gives a student the experience of observing an average day of a professional's job. I was paired with a different scientist or engineer each day and followed them around while they worked. I met many people working different kinds of jobs. It was an amazing experience which introduced me to the diversity of career opportunities available to me and solidified my loyalty to NASA.

I honestly don't remember as much as I wish I could, but three days stand out in my mind. First, I shadowed a satellite engineer. He spent most of the day introducing me to his colleagues and showing me around. I remember staring through the glass of a clean room for a very long time, memorizing every detail. (The photo below is of the same clean room, but I took it five years later.) I recall the strangeness of an adult, working a job I was fascinated with, being in awe of me because I was getting involved at such a young age. He told me that I would be his boss one day, and I'm still not sure how to take that.

Next, I learned what those satellites can do. I shadowed an earth scientist who used Landsat to observe Earth's terrain. In the world before Google Earth, her mapping software was uncommon. She allowed me to use it to navigate the world, and I printed off a photo of Mount Etna in Sicily taken from space (three years before I visited the volcano in person).

Finally, the day I remember most fondly, was when I shadowed a planetary scientist, Dr. Herbert Frey. Again, in the days before Google Mars and the recent successful Mars missions, it wasn't common knowledge to know what the Martian terrain looked like. The very day of my job-shadow, he received some new software which allowed him to scroll through the Martian land, much like today's commonly available software. He let me to play with the data first, and instructed me to find a location on Mars that would be suitable for a space vehicle landing. I don't remember what location I chose, but I enjoyed scrolling through the alien mountains and valleys, pretending I was a pilot astronaut looking for a safe landing.

It is never too early to get involved in a field you enjoy. If I had lived closer to a NASA center as I was growing up, I would have participated much more frequently. There are always opportunities for students and the public, sometimes even unadvertised ones. All it takes is interest, enthusiasm, and motivation.