Sunita Williams
From samosas to spacewalks
This cheerful, spunky astronaut, who has taken the Gita, lord Ganesha and samosas on her space trip, has earned a place in the hearts of the nation by showing her support to Kalpana Chawla’s family after she passed away. Jovial as she is, determination is in Sunita Williams’ genes.
Never give up. When my dad and his siblings decided to work their way to America, they had no resources. It’s thanks to their act of courage that I am today. It makes what I’ve accomplished feel small in comparison.
Believe in yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you ‘You can’t do that’. I had a squad commander who told me, ‘Being an astronaut is for jet pilots, not helicopter pilots’. If you know what you want, you’ve just got to go for it. You do the best you can do at what you’re doing, and then find out what more you need to do.
Open up to people. I’ve been working with Russians while training for the space mission. Considering I’ve lived in the US, I never thought I’d be standing in Red Square. Talking in Russian. We have a bunch of people from all over Europe, Japan, Canada, even Brazil. It breaks down all barriers – we are just people, working together for one very cool project.
Enjoy what you’re doing. I applied for NASA twice… the first time I didn’t have my master’s degree, so I knew I wouldn’t make it through the interview, but the second time I was really excited about it, and I got through. If you enjoy that what you’re doing, you’ll naturally do it well.
Don’t think you’re different. Being a woman and a South Asian hasn’t affected my career. If you don’t acknowledge there’s a difference, the people around you won’t acknowledge it either, and I think that’s beneficial.
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