“Even if the people around you don’t look like you, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a place at the table.”
Tahira Allen is a lot of things — Turkish, African American, millennial, young, professional — but shy is not one of them. As one of the Social Media Specialists for the agency, Allen uses her identity as a way to relate with the audiences she communicates with.
“My identity, being as mixed as it is, allows me to be especially open-minded and inclusive of niche communities and cultures,” says Allen. “Space is an international arena, and the science and technological feats and discoveries are not shut off to the U.S. — they are global.”
As a communicator and storyteller for the agency, Allen’s job is to bring space to the public in an approachable way. One of Allen’s main goals is to show our audiences that the people behind NASA are just that — “just everyday people who laugh and enjoy the same things they do!”
Allen’s favorite part about being the voice of NASA is being at the center of ground-breaking discoveries: “I get to take these amazing topics, merge them with everyday conversations and make them relatable.”
Everyday, Allen is inspired by the increasing amount of diversity she sees in the workforce — but she encourages young women of different heritages to “take that moonshot” and put themselves out there.
And although Allen thrives in digital mediums, she also urges her audiences to reach out to unfamiliar faces, forge personal bonds and embrace human stories.
“Really, at the end of the day all of my identities — be it Turkish, African American, only child, Southern female millennial — have taught me the value of family, human inclusivity and being a strong, independent woman.”
Image Credit: NASA / Thalia PatrinosText Credit: Thalia Patrinos