Space was the farthest thing from Jocelyn Gonzalez’s mind when she enrolled at California State University, Long Beach. A Mexican-American, Gonzalez grew up speaking Spanish and was the first in her family to pursue an engineering degree. Although she’d fallen in love with computer programming, her career options seemed limited to industries she deemed “notorious for poor work-life balances.”

It wasn’t until Aerospace Corp. CEO Steve Isakowitz spoke to engineering students there about the future of space. Aerospace is a nonprofit conducting R&D for the military, NASA, and commercial space industry. Inspired and intrigued, Gonzalez landed an internship there that exposed her to a wide variety of jobs and technologies in the sector, while offering mentorship and diversity support. The company was, in turn, taken by her dedication and talent. After graduating in December, Gonzalez joined its Datacentric Platforms and Architectures division.