Encouraging others to embrace their own personal power towards achieving gender equity in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Panelists will share stories from their academic and professional experiences of: how they overcame challenges, took on new opportunities, and obtained necessary resources/mentors, etc. by embracing their own personal power. Tips, strategies, or skills they employed and how the experience affected their approach for taking on new challenges will be addressed. Panelists will also share new methods employed for navigating work and maintaining balance in the home environment during the pandemic. At the end of this session, participants will have: 1. Examples of how panelists embraced their own personal power 2. Tips & strategies panelists employed to overcome challenges & their approach for taking on new challenges in their academic &/or professional lives 3. Methods employed to balance & shine at work while in the home environment during the pandemic

2. Rise Up:
Believe In Yourself &
Embrace Your Personal Power !

3. Serves as the Organizational Effectiveness & Workforce Development Manager
for NASA GSFC’s Engineering & Technology Directorate (ETD). She leads ETD
strategic workforce initiatives for GSFC’s largest technical workforce, including
serving as the OSTEM Education Program Manager, Diversity & Inclusion Lead,
and Early Career Workforce Development Lead.
Dr. Cervantes started her career at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
and Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) as a Pathways Intern.
She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, Master of Science Degree in
Rehabilitation Counseling, and a Bachelor of Science in Rehabilitation
Psychology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
Dr. Denise Cervantes
Moderator

4. Dr. Cervantes’ Journey

5. Cynthia Simmons
Is currently the Deputy Director of the Flight Projects Directorate
(FPD) at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Previously, she was
the Deputy Director for Planning and Business Management in the Engineering
& Technology Directorate. She has also served as Director of Engineering for a
woman-owned business, Edge Space Systems, Inc, who contracted to GSFC
and partnered with industry, universities and international organizations
providing engineering support to space and science missions.
Ms. Simmons began her career as a U.S. Air Force 2nd Lieutenant in the
Office of Special Projects and was distinguished with the Air Force Meritorious
Service Medal with special recognition by the Under Secretary of the Air Force
for her design of an innovative operational concept.
She has a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Air Force Academy and Master of
Engineering from the University of Maryland College Park in Aerospace
Engineering. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Applied Mathematics at the
University of Maryland Baltimore County.

6. Cynthia Simmons’ Journey

7. Cynthia Simmons’ Journey

8. Jaya Bajpayee
Is currently the Director of Programs and Projects (Acting), at NASA’s Ames
Research Center (ARC). Previously, Ms. Bajpayee led the Science Directorate as
its Deputy Director. Ms. Bajpayee is a member of the Senior Executive Service of
the United States of America.
Previously, Ms. Bajpayee spent over 20 years at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight
Center as a project manager where she formulated and managed space flight
projects. As a Program Executive at NASA HQ for 4 years, she was responsible
for nearly 20 operating missions and an Astrophysics Program. Ms. Bajpayee also
served at NASA’s Glen Research Center as the Deputy Director of Space Flight
Systems Directorate.
Ms. Bajpayee received a Master’s degree in Systems Engineering from Delft
Technical University in Netherland and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical
Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.

9. Jaya
Bajpayee’s
Journey

10. Jaya Bajpayee’s Journey

11. Dr. Clara Orbe
Is a Research Physical Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies
(GISS) and an adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Physics
and Applied Mathematics at Columbia University.
As a first-generation American of Argentinian descent, Dr. Orbe is keenly aware of
the unique hurdles posed to immigrants and, in particular, women of color in pursuit
of STEM careers. To this end, she has engaged in activities directly promoting the
recruitment of women and minorities into STEM fields.
Most recently Dr. Orbe shared her experience via an interview conducted in Spanish
as part of the NASA Stars en Espanol series, which promotes awareness of NASA’s
diverse career opportunities for minority populations.
She received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Brown University
and a PhD in Applied Mathematics at Columbia University.

12. Dr. Clara Orbe’s
Journey

13. Dr. Clara Orbe’s Journey
Tandil, Argentina

14. Nithin Abraham
Is a Thermal Coatings Engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight
Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Nithin has 11+ years of technical expertise in spacecraft thermal
control coatings and molecular adsorber coatings in support of NASA
projects, including satellites, instruments, and telescopes for Earth
Science, Heliophysics, Astrophysics, Planetary Science, and Cube-
Sat missions.
She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science
degrees in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College in
Riverdale, New York. She also has minors in Chemistry and
Mathematics.

15. Nithin Abraham’s Journey

16. THANK YOU!!!
Visit us at the booth for more
information about opportunities at
NASA.