UCLA Engineering Alumna Inspires Others through Work at NASA JPL
As a child, Kat Echazarreta ’19 was fascinated by electricity. How does electricity work? And why? How can electricity be used to create new technologies? Now, this UCLA electrical engineering alumna is working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). She knows the answers to all those questions, and more.
Inside her world at JPL, Echazarreta is an electrical engineer with the Ground Support Equipment team where she designs, builds and tests equipment vital to the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s goal is to launch the spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter’s moon Europa in 2024 to determine whether Europa can harbor conditions suitable for life.
Before landing her dream job at JPL, Echazarreta notes in her blog that her educational journey was not a straight shot.