“There are foundations within my culture that we believe in, and one of the foundations that I live on is called ‘inafa’ maolek.’ The word ‘inafa’ maolek’ means to make good of what others have sacrificed to get you to where you are today. The only reason that I am here is because I have had women and men in my life who have sacrificed so that I could step on their shoulders to reach higher.
“I lost my grandmother this year, and so ‘inafa’ maolek’ refers to the sacrifices that my grandmother made coming from a very small island and escaping the death of the Japanese twice in order to one day have thirteen kids — one of whom is my mother. And, the fact that my mother had to leave the island during a time when women going into the military was not a normal role for a woman from an island.
“And here I am working for such an amazing agency and doing amazing things. The work that I do was only made possible because of the sacrifices that others have made to get me to where I am.
“I had started a nonprofit organization to teach young kids the Chamorro culture, and I had a conversation with my grandmother about it. I remember her sharing with me how proud she was of me and telling me, ‘Because of you, I work for NASA. Because of you, I have my college degree. Because of you, I am teaching kids how to speak our language’ — because I carry her name.
“She sees her name in all of these places, and it makes her so proud. I feel lucky to be her granddaughter.”
–– Teresita Smith, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, Goddard Space Flight Center
Image Credit: NASA / Bill Hrybyk
Interviewer: NASA / Tahira Allen