“I have to be honest, NASA had not really been on my radar until it just was. I went to grad school and in graduate school I actually studied myotonic dystrophy. At the end of my graduate school years I decided I want to go into public service. I applied for this thing called the Presidential Management Fellowship and NASA had an opening! I thought to myself ‘Oh this could be so interesting! They run so many technology and science programs. I'll apply and see what happens.’ “Lo and behold, I got an interview! I was so excited and the idea of working at an agency at NASA blew me out of the water and I said, ‘I am totally taking this.’ “I had a mentor say something to me that I think rings really true. He said, ‘when you work in public service, there’s no doubt that you’re doing the right thing.’ I think that idea drove me to public service. When you work for a company -- there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but you’re really helping the company to meet its bottom line. When you work for a federal agency or a state agency, you’re working to ensure the needs are met for the public. You're really doing something to benefit others. It’s not to benefit the company and many times it’s not just for yourself, so you always know you’re doing the right thing. I think what drove me was the idea of being able to do something that felt intrinsically fulfilling.” Dr. Ruth Siboni, executive officer for the Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) mission directorate poses for a photo, Monday, October 5, 2020 on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA astronauts Warren Hoburg and Stephen Bowen, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, pose for a photo after presenting Dr. Ruth Siboni with the Silver Snoopy Award, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Bowen, Hoburg, and Alneyadi spent 186 days aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 69; while Rubio set a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, spending 371 days in orbit on an extended mission spanning Expeditions 68 and 69. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg, Silver Snoopy Award recipients Dr. Ruth Siboni and Dr. Brian Hollis, UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi, and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, pose for a photo after a Silver Snoopy Award presentation, Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Bowen, Hoburg, and Alneyadi spent 186 days aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 69; while Rubio set a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, spending 371 days in orbit on an extended mission spanning Expeditions 68 and 69. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Expedition 69 NASA astronaut Warren Hoburg presents the Silver Snoopy award to Ruth Siboni after he and fellow crewmates NASA astronauts Frank Rubio and Stephen Bowen, and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi spoke about their time aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 69 during an employee engagement event Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Bowen, Hoburg, and Alneyadi spent 186 days aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 69; while Rubio set a new record for the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut, spending 371 days in orbit on an extended mission spanning Expeditions 68 and 69. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)