Barbie Role Models: Katya Echazarreta (Mexico)

Electrical Engineer and Science Show Host

Katya Echazarreta is the first Mexican and Latin American-born woman to go into space. She is a 27-year-old Electrical Engineer who has shown her passion for science and engineering, making her own successful path in a field that’s mostly dominated by men and opening the way for many more women to come. After graduating from UCLA, Katya went on to intern at NASA JPL and transitioned to a full-time engineer on five NASA missions, including Perseverance and Europa Clipper. And she is now pursuing a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Katya was sponsored by the nonprofit Space for Humanity on a mission to analyze what is known as the “Overview Effect” in space travel. Fewer than 80 women have been to space, and fewer than three dozen have been Black, Indigenous, or Latino from a total of 600 people that have ventured into space. She also explained that she had the opportunity “to guide girls and women who are looking for someone who had experienced what they are going through. I hope to encourage girls and women to achieve their STEM goals, so that together we can remove those barriers.”