Early on I had a great imagination. So I was always turning corners of our house into spaceships and you know any random object this is a satellite, this is an alien ship you know, this is a this and that. I loved it. My name is Courtney Ritz and I am an information technology specialist for the, information technology and communications directorate here at Goddard Space Flight Center. I packed everything up, and moved here and it was only my first or second day living here and I took a cab and came into work and met my supervisor for the first time, and met all my co-workers and was learning a new place. It was quite overwhelming, but in a good way. (music) One very important lesson I've learned is to not be afraid, to make mistakes. We learn to be very risk averse, do everything right the first time if you can; but we can't learn unless we're willing to make mistakes and take those mistakes and learn new ways to do things, things we may have not thought of before. I'm very proud of the fact that I was able to get a job with an organization full of people who appreciate me for the skills and talents that I have and, and don't get caught up on the fact that I have a disability. I think sometimes, people with disabilities run into a situation where their one hundred and ten percent qualified for the job they take on. But because people within their organization may not be comfortable working with them and it really interferes with their ability to play that key role. Interestingly I don't think that my blindness has been a barrier to overcome. I see it as more of a inconvenience, something I just have to deal with. The biggest barrier that I've had to overcome, though is lack of self confidence. It's something I grew up with, not being popular or not being interested in the things that everyone around me was interested in, kind of made me feel like an outsider. Until I realized I could embrace that, and become part of the diverse workforce that we have here. (music) (music) Never be afraid to pursue your dreams, even if no one else around you has dreams like that (music) I think I'd like to be remembered as, someone who left the world a little brighter then when they got here. (music) (music) (music)