Singh’s NASA dream; Fijian girl flying high

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Neharika at her workspace. Picture: SUPPLIED

Born and raised in Suva, Neharika Trishala Singh is now living the life she dreamt of when she was just a little girl.

The 23-year-old is empowering women and girls by being Fiji’s first and only female and individual to be a part of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) interning as an Information Security Engineer.

“It’s definitely been a dream of mine to be a part of NASA from as long as I can remember,” says the former St Anne’s Primary and St Joseph’s Secondary school student, adding her uncle had a part to play in her big dreams.

“I was always inspired by my uncle who did cancer research at the time and his significant contributions towards the discovery of a cure.”

The young woman surrounded herself with lots of old books that were probably university-level, but she tried her best to learn as much from them at the age of eight.

“It definitely made my life easier as I got to higher classes. I already had a basic idea of what my teachers were talking about.”

In 2018, Singh enrolled at the Fiji National University where she took up science.

“When I was in secondary school, I took science classes.

“I attended Fiji National University only for a year and I mainly majored in biology and chemistry.”

Singh was given the chance to migrate to the US, and with nothing holding her back and her mindset on building something for herself, she took up the opportunity.

In 2019 she left Fiji for the US.

“It was totally unexpected for me as I had applied for scholarships to Australia and New Zealand to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

“However, my mother had applied for the Diversity Visa Lottery for me and the following year I made it through selection.

“As I did not qualify for the two scholarships, I decided to go along with the opportunity I had at hand with going to the US.”

On March 21, 2019, Singh landed in San Francisco with just $500 in her pocket.

She had stuck with her original plan of becoming a veterinarian, however, it was not long before she changed her mind.

“When I came to America, I originally was still planning on becoming a veterinarian. However, after interning at an emergency hospital for animals and almost passing out, I realised that I was not cut out to be a doctor.”

For Singh, the road to NASA was not an easy one since she did not have the support of her biological parents.

However, that did not stop her from giving up.

“I was raised by my grandparents primarily for a major part of my life until my grandmother passed away in 2014.

“My family whom I reside with currently in the States, especially my aunt and uncle, played a major part in guiding me in my journey. It was a rough road.”

She acknowledged her mama and mami (maternal uncle and aunt) in Fiji for their immense support in her journey.

“There was a major lack of support from both my biological parents, especially my mother, throughout the entire journey, basically leaving me to fend for myself after making the conscious decision to send me out here.

“I worked two to three jobs as a cashier, a waitress and a barista, sometimes all in a day to support myself and be able to pay for my necessities, and a boot camp training program which I was attending on the recommendation of my aunt as a starting point to my career.

“I eventually landed my position as an InfoSec Engineer after I graduated from the boot camp. I finally had the proper income to be able to afford going to college and university here, as it is very expensive.

“During this time I applied for experience with the NASA L’Space Academy and I was accepted for the opportunity. I couldn’t be happier and I have stuck with them since.”

For Singh, being a part of NASA has been a fascinating experience as it constantly keeps her on the edge.

“I am an Information Security Engineer at a major corporation that deals with DDoS (Distributed Denial of
Service) attack Mitigation and Cloud Security with clientele from around the globe.

“My day to day looks like dealing with various volumes of cyber-attacks targeted towards high-profile corporations and being on constant high alert.

“With the NASA L’Space experience, I was essentially a part of two different sets of teams in which, firstly, I was involved with extensive researching, scoring and the writing of proposals for NASA that could potentially be funded for further research to address any points they have.

“In the current team, we are working on developing a mission concept with careful research, which, on a high
level, deals with the exploration of the moon.”

Singh said being a woman of colour and working in a male-dominated field has been a challenge for her.

“I have to admit when I first walked in through that door, I was intimidated because I was one of only three
women on our team.

“Being a woman of colour, it was challenging to overcome certain cultural constraints that prevented me from voicing my opinions and standing my ground.

“On a personal level, I am a very reserved and shy person, which is the total opposite of the culture in America, so I had to quickly adapt which came with its fair share of culture shock.”

However, that did not discourage her from being the trailblazing woman that she has become.

Apart from working as an Information Security Engineer, the 23-year-old is also studying.

“I am double majoring in engineering/computer engineering with a minor in astronomy at a reputable four-year
university.

“I am also training to become a private licensed pilot as I plan to conduct flight systems research for the improvement of spaceflight software integration for NASA or SpaceX in the future.”

Singh’s hobbies include playing the guitar and sitar, painting, experimental baking and spending time with her family who she lives with.

She shares more about her journey and how it was more of a personal matter.

“My journey was not only all about my career and my professional growth; it was also deeply on a personal
level. I was severely malnourished and had a major underlying health condition which was overlooked and
undiagnosed while I was in Fiji.

“Once here, through proper medical care and the emotional support of my adoptive family, I was able to
overcome most of my physical and mental constraints that have become an ongoing battle of healing myself.

“It’s amazing what a little love and a positive environment can do for an individual.”

Singh hopes that her journey helps more girls who are in a similar situation.

For her, her biggest achievement is finally finding a safe space to call home.

“I would say my biggest achievement has been finding a loving family and home during my journey to call my own, that is a safe place for me to grow and flourish as an individual, mentally, emotionally and physically.

“There is no greater achievement than that for me.”

Singh also adds that behind her success are the women who molded her into the person that she is today.

“My role models in life were my great-grandmother who in her time was a strong hard working woman who
never gave up.

“I was inspired by the values that both my grandmother and great-grandmother instilled in me.

“When I got to the US my mausi (aunt) who I reside with fulfilled the space of a motherly figure and role model in my life after the passing of my grandmothers.

“She always believed in my abilities and she has played a huge part in my success here.”

Singh urges young girls and women to be courageous and never back down.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you are weak.

“You fight for your dreams and you fight hard and don’t ever give up, no matter what they all say.”

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