She didn't complain

Born in 1983, even as a young girl, Diana Trujillo had a passion for science. But she doubted she'd rise very far in the male-dominated field. When she was 17 fate stepped in. Thinking a second language might expand her horizon, her father offered to send her to live with an aunt in Miami, and she accepted. With just $300 to her name, she took housekeeping jobs to put herself through Miami Dade College. In addition to learning English, she studied aerospace engineering. Sometimes she had to take six busses to get to class. On other days she'd clean bathrooms to help pay her tuition. But she didn't complain.

She became the first Hispanic woman to be admitted to NASA Academy, where she did so well that she was one of only two students offered a job by the prestigious institution. Long story short -- this February, when the Perseverance rover landed on Mars, it was accompanied by commentary from Trujillo in what became NASA's first-ever Spanish-language transmission.