“I feel very fortunate to be part of a team like this … to be part of such a rich heritage that JPL brings,” Valdez said. “But having come from a community that … you rarely think you can end up in a place like JPL.”
Valdez is the engineering manager of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. His parents emigrated from Mexico; he grew up in East Los Angeles and graduated from Garfield High in 1991. One of his teachers was the famous mathematics teacher Mr. Jaime Escalante, who was the subject of the 80s film “Stand and Deliver.”
“What he taught me in high school was a big step forward in making a career,” Valdez said. “I didn’t realize how much I had contributed to my education until I got to college.”
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Valdez began at NASA JPL as an intern after finishing high school. He then began as a full-time employee after graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Advancing rapidly through February 2021, it leads a team of more than 100 engineers. They are in charge of the rover’s scientific equipment that can respond if there has ever been life on the red planet.
“Of course, I only grew up about 12 miles from JPL and had no idea it existed. So I was able to show up there and start learning how to be an engineer and start working as a team member and start doing many contributions that make these missions possible … this is just a big leap forward, ”Valdez said. “And I’m proud to be one of those who could get there and be able to do what we’re doing.”
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