Micah Larioza at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston.
MICAH Larioza, a former Marianas High School and Northern Marianas College student, will start an internship with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration later this month.
She moved to Oregon in 2023 and attends Western Oregon University where she is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in information systems with a focus on cybersecurity.
In the last spring semester, she made it to the school’s honor roll.
Recently, she has been accepted as a database development and management intern of the NASA Office of STEM Engagement internship program.
NASA’s website states that the internship is an opportunity to “gain practical work experience while working side-by-side with mentors who are research scientists, engineers, and individuals from many other professions.”
Larioza officially begins her internship on Aug. 26.
Her responsibilities will include assisting the Office of the Chief Technologist at NASA’s Stennis Space Center to develop a database for management of technology assets. The database development process will include planning, gathering of requirements, conceptual design, logical design, physical design, construction, implementation and rollout, and ongoing support.
Larioza said it was only last year when she discovered an interest in working with data. She then discovered the internship opportunity via an online job posting that requested her résumé and transcript as well as information about her extra curriculars. It also asked her, “Why NASA?”
NASA’s website states that an internship requires a participant to have a 3.0-4.0 GPA.
Larioza hopes that the internship helps build her post-college career.
“During this internship, I hope to gain hands-on experience in developing databases, particularly in a high-stakes environment,” she said. “I also hope to expand my professional network by connecting with experts in my field to open doors for future career opportunities.”
She said she’s feeling “excited, nervous, proud!”
“I never thought I’d enter this gateway into my dream workplace,” she said. “I love astronomy and science and anything space-related and I’ve always wanted to work for NASA. If possible, I would love to work for the industry someday. This internship is a really great way to get my foot in the door.”
Her advice for those in the CNMI considering STEM as a college major is to be prepared to put in the hard work.
“Studying STEM isn’t easy at all. If you plan to pursue any STEM-related field after high school, be ready to sacrifice a lot of your free time,” she said. “Also, classwork alone will not be enough to prepare you for your career. Try your best to get hands-on experience through research, projects, or internships.”
