 My first small step was getting a co-op at NASA Johnson Space Center. My second small step was leaving NASA and joining a small business in commercial space. My third small step was joining Blue Origin, a larger commercial space company. The giant leap was honestly coming to Purdue. I distinctly remember the first moment when I said to myself, I can do this. I can be a aerospace engineer. I'm Kristi Akamini. I received my bachelor's in Astronautics and Aeronautics in 1993. And I'm a Purdue engineer.