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“Growing up in Guyana I’ve always, you know looked at the stars in my grandmother’s yard so that inspired my journey and interest in what I’m doing.

“Living in Guyana you don’t see a path to these career opportunities and so when I moved, my goal was not to focus on astronomy, physics, or planetary science at all but as I moved through my studies, opportunities arise and let me full circle back to what my initial interest was growing up in Guyana,” Jardine said.

Planetary science focuses on solar system bodies and the atmospheres, surfaces and interiors of planets. The first U.S. mission to collect a sample from an asteroid, will return to Earth in September; Jardine will be part of the team studying the sample.

Jardine was part of an exchange student programme and went to China to study for two months before she returned to the US where she was part of a Bridge Programme which is designed for young people from underrepresented minority communities with an interest in science and technology. She said these were all stepping stones for her.

As it goes for many successes, Jardine’s journey was not always easy. She explained that she was always a part of the STEM programmes which has created many opportunities for her but it also has many challenges.

Notably, she is the first black woman to have graduated from the university with a PHd in physics. This is significant because it is the second largest school in America. She said that being the trailblazer in this context, she has realised that there is more that must be done to ensure that underrepresented minority groups have similar opportunities.

During her sophomore year at college, her mother died in a car crash during a visit to Guyana. The family never got justice following the accident but for Jardine, this was her defining moment.

“The biggest challenge was losing my mom. She died here in Guyana, that was a challenge then and it still is now.

“I had to push and that same professor really held on to me and said “you’re going to finish” and my dad was a big supporter. He said all I want you to do is finish College. I ended up pushing through and even passed that…It is a realisation of how far we still need to go. Being a woman, being black in America, there’s a lot of obstacles that we have to overcome to even be where we need to be,” Jardine said.

With the support of a professor who encouraged her to move out of her comfort zone and pursue studies in planetary science and her family, she was able to graduate and secure her spot with NASA.

“You have to push and find opportunities, don’t put yourself in a box. You have to search and find… when you want something you have to go for it,” Jardine advises.