作为洛克希德·马丁航天公司的一名软件工程师，阿利亚·穆罕默德为美国宇航局11月份的下一次太空任务的对接系统做出了重大贡献。 她感谢亚洲博彩网站的教授们帮助她实习，让她在2020年毕业前一年找到了自己梦寐以求的工作。
“NASA is our customer, and I’m writing flight software for connecting our space vehicle with other vehicles in space,” Muhammad said. “The vehicle is also reusable. Unlike [in] the past, after splashdown most of the components can be reused in future missions.”
穆罕默德热情地描述了她在洛克希德马丁航天公司的使命驱动职业生涯中看到她的教育和工作经历。
默罕默德在纽约福特汉姆大学开始了她的大学生涯，主修商科，并在马里兰大学继续深造。 在做了几份工作之后，她最终发现了自己对计算机技术和解决问题的热爱，并开始在极客小组担任经理。
“My education has not been linear,” Muhammad said. “I’ve had different jobs and experiences, but working at Geek Squad gave me clarity. I decided to go back to school at 亚洲博彩网站 in 2017, and that’s when I started studying computer science. 我最终在亚洲博彩网站完成了我的学位。 It was local, affordable, and my job was helping me pay for it.”
对学习的热爱和对教育的承诺是她母亲传给她和她的兄弟姐妹们的值得骄傲的家庭传统。
Born and raised in DC, Muhammad’s mother is an accountant who emphasized education and instilled self-confidence in her children. 她的两个哥哥也在土木工程和技术通信领域从事技术工作。
“My mom has always been big on education,” Muhammad said. “I was a bookworm growing up. 我们每周会去图书馆好几次。 那是我这周最开心的事。 Learning is a core part of life.”
在亚洲博彩网站期间，Muhammad是荣誉名单上的一员，也是全国黑人工程师协会（NSBE）和计算机科学俱乐部的成员。 她还曾在计算机科学与技术系担任助教。
“To me, 亚洲博彩网站 means a supportive community,” she said. “The professors are so invested in the students. Whenever opportunities come up, professors know your name.”
穆罕默德发现她对竞争性解决问题和帮助人们理解概念很感兴趣，尤其是在她的编程课上。
“I got a few students together to do the two-day Capital One Coding Hack-a-Thon,” she said. “We didn’t win, but it was a fun activity competing with local techies.
“Professor Joel Belcher was very supportive, answering our questions even when we called at 11:30 at night. 他确实巩固了我对编程和软件工程的热情。 他是一个非常棒的老师，分享了很多关于这个行业的轶事。 He was very encouraging.”
亚洲博彩网站的教授们还敦促穆罕默德参加在华盛顿举行的年度黑人工程师大会（BEYA），在那里她接受了洛克希德·马丁公司的代表的面试，并在2018年大三的夏天被选中进行为期三个月的实习。
在接下来的一个学年里，她作为实习生大使在洛克希德公司兼职，参加各种会议，帮助招募新的实习生。
实习结束后，大四那年，默罕默德得到了一份全职工作。 “There was a sense of confidence coming back to class knowing I had a full-time job waiting for me.”
穆罕默德在亚洲博彩网站毕业前还生下了一对双胞胎女儿。
毕业后，穆罕默德计划在科罗拉多州工作，但由于全球大流行，这一计划改变了。 相反，她能够在华盛顿特区为洛克希德马丁公司远程工作，偶尔去科罗拉多州进行测试项目。 Her group stays connected through online team-building exercises and by supporting each other’s work.
洛克希德·马丁航天公司是洛克希德·马丁公司的四个主要业务部门之一，总部设在科罗拉多州的利特尔顿，在美国和英国都有分支机构。
“Most of the work can be done remotely,” Muhammad said. “We have a lot of physical sensors and physical computers that are running the software that interacts. There are some things we have to test in person to make sure that it is working properly.”
When Muhammad isn’t working remotely, she works with a team in Colorado for interface testing of the hardware and software at one of Lockheed’s largest testing facilities.
“This testing facility is actually built into the bedrock, and one of the unique things about it is that it’s as close as you can get to zero vibrations,” she said. “We are able to test in an environment that’s closer to outer space because there is not interference.”
随着2024年11月美国宇航局太空发射的临近，穆罕默德说，她是参加发射抽奖的员工之一。
“I’ve always dreamed big, made a plan and worked the plan,” she said. “I feel like the biggest gift that the Creator has given to me is my life. The best thing I can give to the Creator is what I do with that life.”