This Valentine’s Day, we’re highlighting a few of NASA’s ‘out of this world’ intern stories. NASA internships offer unique, meaningful work experiences that help propel careers in STEM. They allow for real-world applications with a tangible impact on NASA missions and projects. But a select few interns have found more than just a dream job here at NASA. While searching the cosmos, and scouring their data, they found something ever so rare – their soulmate.
Leah Cheshier Mustachio & Nick Mustachio
In 2018, Leah was writing articles on former interns and their resulting careers in the agency (much like this one) and came across Nick’s name. After meeting for the project, their interest in one another grew. The article Leah published on Nick got over a million hits on the NASA homepage. Leah and Nick were married this past September.
“We have so many opportunities to cheer each other on as we grow in our careers, which we’re really passionate about. I love seeing him live his dream. We also share many of the same friends from our internships, it’s wonderful to be part of the NASA family,” Leah said.
Leah works as the Public Affairs Officer and a team lead on the Moon to Mars mission at NASA Johnson Space Center. She also provides live coverage on NASA Television for spacewalks, splashdowns, launches and other related mission events. Nick is the Chief Engineer of the Aviation Safety Office, providing engineering input for aircraft and operational flight risk assessments.
Waryn & Richmon Caluya
After meeting at Ohio State University, Waryn and Don Richmon Caluya, college sweethearts, moved to Houston, Texas in pursuit of Richmon’s NASA Pathways Internship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
As a communications student, Waryn wasn’t aware that NASA offered internships in fields dealing with her line of work. She saw an opportunity to pursue her own NASA journey and accepted her first internship with the NASA Public Affairs Office in the spring of this past year.
Waryn recently started her fourth internship and works as an Exhibits and NASA’s Johnson Space Center Social Media Intern. Meanwhile, Richmon is finishing up his Business Pathways internship. He enjoyed connecting college students to their career goals through the JSC University Collaborations Envoys program.
“I love his drive. He pushes me to challenge myself. He is the reason I applied for an internship. We share the same excitement for NASA,” Waryn said.
The couple officially tied the knot this past September while juggling their individual internships and graduate school. Both Waryn and Richmon are eager to continue reaching for the stars in their marriage.
Paul & Jessica Friz
Paul and Jessica met at the end of their summer internship session at NASA Langley Research Center in 2016 through a mutual friend and started dating a year later. They both participated in Promoting Agency Cross-Center Connections (PAXC) together as Pathways interns. The couple made many close friends throughout their internships, several of whom later held roles in their wedding party.
“I love how much she cares for other people and how passionate she is about space exploration. I love her passion for learning and exploring the universe.” Paul Friz said.
Paul works in the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD) as an aerospace engineer at Langley Research Center. He is currently working on research project designing and estimating the cost of a network of spacecraft network to send fuel and cargo to and from different points in the Earth Moon system.
Jessica works as an aerospace engineer in the Simulation Development and Analysis Branch. She develops low to high fidelity flight simulators for aircraft and spacecraft used to improve cockpit designs for pilots and astronauts. Jessica is currently developing modeling and simulation capabilities to support NASA’s on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing efforts. Both originated from entirely different states, so without NASA they would have never had the opportunity to know one another.
Reflecting on their relationship, Jessica shared, “We are able to bond and geek out over the awesome work we’re doing. I love how much he knows about aircraft, spacecraft, and astronomy. It’s an insane amount!”
Are you interested in a NASA internship? Check out intern.nasa.gov to find information on eligibility and application steps.
Written by: Megan Hale, Claire O’Shea, & Robyn Reichle-Magalhaes