The Capacity Building program is honored to host eight summer 2020 interns. The entire 10-week internship is virtual because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Each of the team members bring unique experiences and skillsets. As they build their technical and professional skillsets with us this summer, we are excited to introduce them through a series of features created by the interns themselves.
Jonathan Mo & Andy Velez lead the team’s website development project, which is creating new content for the website, revising an online training calendar, and updating the CEOS Working Group for Capacity Building and Data Democracy website.
JONATHAN MO
NASA Capacity Building Program Intern
What school do you attend?
University of Virginia, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Where are you from?
Virginia Beach, Virginia.
What is your favorite pastime?
Going to the beach with friends and family.
What inspires you?
The ability to create life-changing applications for everyone to use allover the world, without limitations of corporations or governments.
What is your dream job?
Senior Software Engineer/CEO at a revolutionary company which emphasizes equality, upholds high morals, and creates technology to improve the lives of everyone in the world.
What made you choose NASA?
The wonderful individuals at NASA create an atmosphere that pushes you to achieve your fullest potential. The NASA accomplishments of the past, present, and future will always amaze and inspire me.
Andy Velez
NASA Capacity Building Program Intern, Web Development Coordination Lead, "A Boricua for NASA"
Where are you from?
I live in the tropical island of Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Arecibo. I study towards my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico -- Arecibo Campus, and as such, I am proud to be an Interamerican Tiger
What is it like being a Puerto Rican student working with NASA?
Working with NASA has been great. They have been very accommodating, and the overall experiences and opportunities that have been presented over the term already have and will continue to help me achieve a greater education and advance my professional career, both inside and outside of Puerto Rico.
How did you get involved with NASA?
After receiving very positive feedback from a friend who participated in a NASA internship program, I decided to apply for an internship position within NASA to further advance my skills and education. I applied for various internship programs with various institutions for the Summer 2020 term, but when COVID-19 arrived, many organizations decided to cancel their internship programs for the summer. I had almost given up hope on landing an internship for the summer, but to my surprise, I received an email informing me that I was being considered for a virtual internship in NASA’s very own Langley Research Center working on the Capacity Building Program. I quickly replied, and after an interview process and various communications, I had been accepted as one of their virtual interns, and thus my journey with NASA began.
What have you learned working with NASA?
Throughout the term, I have had the chance to attend various conferences and webinars, work together with my fellow interns, and gain important professional connections. As a Coordination Lead, I have gained essential leadership and communication skills, along with knowledge not only in my field of study,being Computer Science, but in various other fields of work which I value greatly.
What is a typical day in your life?
At the start of the day, I promptly check my schedule to prepare for the coming tasks throughout the day. If I’m not at my desk taking a programming language course and documenting my findings on my trusty notebook that I like to call “My P-Language Encyclopedia”, you can probably find me jamming out to some music on the drum set or relaxing to some smooth jazz while playing the trumpet. After completing my tasks for the day, I finish off by thanking God for the day and preparing for the next.
