Our first guest speaker to our Air & Space Community Conversation for Fall semester series joined us last week to discuss her path to working at the NASA Glenn Research Center.
Dr. Azlin Biaggi-Labiosa, Manager, Foundational Electrified Aircraft Propulsion, Transformational Tools & Technologies Project, at the NASA Glenn Research Center told students that she could talk about the technical aspects of her work but wanted to talk more about herself.
She started by talking about her experiences in education in Puerto Rico, where she was born and raised. After earning her undergraduate degree in chemistry, she went to medical school. But after two years, she knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do and decided to pivot.
“I hated it and I told my parents I wasn’t going back,” Dr. Biaggi-Labiosa told students. She emphasized how making that change was important in her life and that students do not need to know exactly what they want to do right now.
“My path wasn’t straightforward.”
After talking about her switch into a physics education, including earning her doctorate, she continued with a discussion about her time interning with NASA and how it was a small conversation with a center director that helped launch her career.
“He asked if I had been hired yet, and I just said, ‘I wish!’” From there, the center director helped her get interviews around NASA until the right fit came through.
In discussing her time in research and now as a project manager, she told students about the importance of communication, networking, and leadership skills. She noted that communication was important, not just for those outside of the organization, but also for pitching ideas to higher ups for funding and approvals. She talked about how important it is, even as an introvert, to connect with people. She also wanted students to know the value of leadership skills and knowing how to manage people.
During the Q&A portion of the event, one student asked Dr. Biaggi-Labiosa about her experience in her career with adversity related to being a woman and from Puerto Rico. She told stories that illustrated the difficulties she has faced and how far society still has left to progress.
“I still need to prove myself to a lot of people, even though I have the degree, I have the Ph.D. I still have to prove myself to people.”
