Christina Mitchell shoots for the stars and lands dream job with NASA

Mitchell knew she wanted to work for NASA after completing an internship at the NASA Glenn Research Center in 2018. “I was able to go in and out of pretty much every lab in the center and talk directly to the scientists and engineers driving innovation there,” says Mitchell. “It was absolutely incredible and I definitely came back inspired.”

Her second internship was with NASA Goddard (where she now works), and Mitchell says she feels like she found her niche working with the liveshot team. She did a third internship with the International Space Station multimedia team at the Johnson Space Center.

“That was really cool, partially because the astronauts were one floor up,” says Mitchell. “I got to ride the elevator up with Christina Koch a week after she got back from her historic mission.”

While at Emory & Henry, Mitchell took on multiple roles on campus in addition to being a student.

“Getting involved in the Whitetopper and EHC-TV really helped me build the communications skills that helped me get my foot in the door with NASA internships,” says Mitchell. “Through those outlets and wearing as many hats as I did, I became pretty well-rounded, and during my first NASA internship I learned how to communicate with scientists and engineers directly. Then when I finished my degree, I was able to float around to different roles during my internship at NASA Goddard in the Communications office. That flexibility is what landed me with the team I’m on now, which handles satellite media tours for the entire agency. It’s incredibly rewarding and without getting so many different experiences with so many different areas of communications I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Mitchell credits faculty members Dr. Finney and Dr. Woods for helping push her out of her comfort zone.

“One thing I never thought I was good at or enjoyed was video editing, but Dr. Woods really helped me through that and when I interned with the International Space Station multimedia team I edited several astronaut interviews into different videos,” says Mitchell.

To future students, Mitchell says, “Listen to your professors and advisors and don’t give up. But most importantly, trust yourself. When you feel lost, talk to the people who know you best and they may be able to help point you in the right path. Your advisor may know about possibilities that you’re not even aware exists and can help you learn more. The possibilities are endless so always try to find something that makes you happy, even if that thing is unexpected.”