Dec 01, 2017

Sherry Mitchell, Jose Pacheco and Juan Rueda will be interning at the Kennedy Space Center located in Titusville, Fla.

“One of the main benefits of the internship program is for students to gain work experience and insight into the technical industry,” said School of Business & Information Technology Associate Dean Barbara Johnston. “Since the majority of computer programming/computer science/software engineering jobs require a four-year degree, this opportunity is a great motivator for students to finish their associate degree and pursue a four-year degree. The best way for students to get a foot in the door at NASA is through this pipeline.”

Mitchell is majoring in Computer Information Systems at CNM with a concentration in Computer Programming. Mitchell also has a Bachelor of Science Degree in math from the University of New Mexico and would like to continue working at NASA after obtaining her associate degree.

“I hope to increase my programming skills as well as learn new skills in networking,” Mitchell said. “I am excited to see how programming plays a role in major projects that take many departments and people to execute.”

Pacheco is also majoring in Computer Information Systems at CNM with a concentration in Computer Programming. After his internship, he plans to attend New Mexico State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Information and Communication Technologies. Eventually he hopes to earn a master’s degree in System Software Design.

“While in the intern position, I hope to learn what system software design truly means,” Pacheco said. “I would like to learn about what kinds of challenges are faced with software communications in space, as well as the different computer systems NASA uses.”

Rueda expects to graduate in summer 2018 with an associate degree in Computer Science. After graduation he plans to transfer to the University of New Mexico or the University of Florida to study cyber security.

“During my internship I hope to be challenged and meet those challenges to learn new methods of approaching problems,” Rueda said. “Also, it will be interesting to experience what it means to be part of a large organization and how to interact productively.”