By Joca Marquez
I always feel the same pull when I watch a rocket launch through the Florida sky.
Even now, working on the Artemis program, NASA’s mission to return humans to the moon, I look up at the sky, and I’m dreaming.
My path was an unlikely one. I grew up in Mercedes, Texas, a place where careers in aerospace weren’t visible and didn’t seem accessible to women who looked like me. My grandparents never had access to formal schooling. That reality shaped how I inhabited different spaces throughout my life. It also informed every decision and opportunity and led me to a life of service – from the San Marcos, Texas, city council to NASA to the Presidential Leadership Scholars program.
Women, and particularly Indigenous Latinas, remain underrepresented at the highest levels of education and in STEM fields even today. Women make up only about 35% of the STEM workforce, with even smaller representation among Latinas, according to a 2022 report from the National Science Board.
At NASA, women represent roughly a third of the workforce, and even fewer are in technical roles, a 2023 report showed. For women of color, the numbers are even lower. Historically, women of color have made up only a small fraction of NASA’s engineering workforce, highlighting persistent structural barriers in access and advancement.
Today, as part of the Artemis program, I contribute to exploration but also support this work through electrical engineering and integration, building and testing cable systems for the Mobile Launcher, SLS Core Stage, and Orion, including sensor, harness, and checkout assemblies, as well as components like Bellofram I/P transducers that enable precise system control.
Earning my Ph.D. gave me the language to understand the nuances of those systems. It sharpened how I navigate all the spaces I inhabit at the same time. Being a part of the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) Class of 2023 strengthened my approach to leadership, expanded my ability to carry myself with intention, and taught me to uplift my story.
Equally impactful has been the network of diverse individuals I met through the program. Over the past three years, these peers have become far more than classmates, they have been a constant source of encouragement, accountability, and strength. In moments of challenge and growth, they have stood beside me, reminding me of my strengths and reinforcing the importance of community. Together, we have built a space rooted in trust, shared ambition, and mutual respect.
I carry the hopes and dreams of my ancestors. I carry with me everything that was denied to them because of systemic inequality. I can now envision a future that is more inclusive, more representative, and more reflective of stories like mine.
Joca G. Marquez, Ph.D., is an Electrical Tech-COMET at NASA Space Center and a Presidential Leadership Scholar Class of 2023