DIANA TRUJILLO

Born to a single mother in Cali, Columbia, Trujillo looked to the stars as a child, searching for a way out of the violence in Columbia. At seventeen, she emigrated to the U.S. with only three-hundred dollars. Working three jobs, including that of housekeeper, she supported herself and paid for English lessons. Trujillo then enrolled at the University of Florida in Aerospace Engineering. While there, she applied for the NASA Academy, and was the first Hispanic immigrant woman admitted. Trujillo’s NASA mentor encouraged her to move to the University of Maryland to be part of the space robots research team. She earned her BS there in Aerospace Engineering.

In 2007, NASA hired Trujillo to work at the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on human and robotic space missions. She developed the Dust Removal Tool for the Mars Curiosity rover’s mission. It brushes the dust on Mars’ surface, allowing scientists to investigate the surface below. Trujillo worked on several subsequent missions, most recently on the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover robotic arm. In 2017, she earned the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Bruce Murray Award for Excellence in Education and Public Engagement. Throughout her career, Trujillo has sought to inspire Latina women in science fields, saying, “I need to become that Latina woman that will have the life that my mom, my great grandma deserved.”