WEBVTT FILE

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Click

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My name is Julie Ann Rivera-Perez and I work as a contract speicalist

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for the GOES-R Flight Project at NASA.

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Music

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Back in the beginning I remember

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I was in Puerto Rico when I got the call from the

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Co-Op Program Manager, and I

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remember her telling me "this is the call you have been waiting for..."

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<laugh>

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I was very excited and

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from there the rest is history, Here I am...

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I would have to say that's

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has to be the happiest moment, the day I knew I was, I got accepted

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here at NASA. It was very hard

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for me to leave the island, to leave my

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family, my friends, everything I knew basically

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my culture and come out here to Maryland.

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I have never been to Maryland before.

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So, I remember I was filled with nerves and

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excitement at the same time, I just couldn't wait to

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get my hands dirty and start working and

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learning. I started out as an intern

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then I was a Co-Op and I finally got converted

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to a full time permanent position. So,

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during that time I got to work for the Equal

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Employment Office and a little bit with

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the Office of Education and the Legal

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Office. So, that has been lots of cool

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experiences as a Co-Op. I

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also worked in the Industry Assistance Office

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and I now work for GOES-R.

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It's just amazing working with engineers and scientist and

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its like learning a different language <laugh>

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and I am also proud of the fact that even though I

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work as a contract specialist, I'm also

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the co-chair of the Hispanic Advisory Committee for employees here

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on center, so I advocate for the Hispanic community

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on center and I meet with senior management

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and the Center Director on yearly

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basis to go over some

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issues and challenges that the Hispanic community at

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NASA is facing.

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Goddard is a wonderful place, that they

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know how to balance work and

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life very well. So, there's a couple clubs here

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on center. I belong to the music and drama club

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and I have gotten the chance to play lead roles

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in two of their fall musicals.

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The latest one was the King and I, which I play Tuptim.

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So, I get to sing, even though

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I am a contract specialist during the day

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I'm a singer at night. <laughing>

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In 2010, I was already here

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full-time and I

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became ill

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and was alone here, I didn't have my family.

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and for a while doctors

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they didn't know what was going on with me

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and finally I went to

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Johns Hopkins hospital and I was

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diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

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and chronic neutropenia, basically

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your immune system is not working, you're not producing enough white blood cells

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to keep you healthy. I remember telling my husband

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I need to go to the hospital, somethings not right

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and I am glad I did because I

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went into whats called a neutropenic septic shock

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at that moment when I was hooked up to I.V.

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antibiotics and I was alone in a room

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I realized how fragile life is

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It was so scary, I realized I really have to live

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to my life to the fullest. I can't waste

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one second of it. Ever since then you know I'm

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I'm doing all these things I've always wanted to do like

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play the piano, taking violin classes

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I'm painting, I'm still doing community

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theater, I'm singing, which is my passion. I'm just really

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trying to live my life and not let

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anything stop me. My parents have really taught me to

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believe in my self. That's

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big. That's where it all starts.

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The one piece of advice I would give to the

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next generation would be, to never

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underestimate what you can accomplish, because when you

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truly believe in yourself you never ever give up.

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no matter what.

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music

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music

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music

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music