Season 5 Premiere: Interviewing a NASA Flight Controller! My BEYA STEM Experience

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Welcome to Season 5 of Ishara's Reading Podcast! 

I am SO excited to kick off this new season by sharing one of the most incredible experiences of my life - attending the BEYA STEM Conference's 40th Anniversary and interviewing retired NASA flight controller Dr. Joeletta Patrick!

This was hands down one of the BEST STEM experiences I've ever had. Being surrounded by some many incredible people doing amazing things in space, engineering, and technology made my dream of becoming an astronaut feel more real than ever.


Dr. Patrick is a retired NASA program manager and electrical engineer who worked as a certified flight controller for the International Space Station at NASA Johnson Space Center. Her call sign? "POWER" - because she monitored the ISS Electrical Power System in Mission Control!

After an incredible 28-year career at NASA, Dr. Patrick now runs JD Patrick and Associates, where she equips and inspires young people (ages 10-24) and early career professionals to be successful in STEM fields and beyond. She's a motivational speaker, educator, and ordained minister who is passionate about increasing opportunities for underrepresented students in STEM.

You could watch this episode on my YouTube channel

In this episode, Dr. Patrick and I discuss:

✨ The Path to NASA: How she went from studying electrical engineering at North Carolina A&T to working in Mission Control

✨ NASA Certifications: The different roles and certifications you need to work at NASA - front room, back room, and Mission Control room

✨ Life in Mission Control: What it's really like being a flight controller for the International Space Station

✨ Working with Astronauts: The incredible astronauts Dr. Patrick supported during her time at NASA

✨ My Heroes: I share about meeting TWO of my heroes - Dr. Mae Jemison (the first Black woman in space and my mentor) and astronaut José Hernández.

✨Kennedy Space Center: My visit to Kennedy Space Center and what that experience meant to me as a future astronaut

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