Amarisa Gonzalez is a Molecular and Cell Biology student at Fresno City College.
At 21 years old, the Latina in STEM is one step closer to her dream of going to space.
She is one of 10 students and the only Latina to be accepted to NASA's partner program, Project PoSSUM, where students research the mesosphere and global climate.
"I'm still a little bit in shock," she said. "All these things have been going on, and I am like, 'Did I really do that?' I am so grateful, so proud of myself and proud of my family for helping me get here."
The journey has not been easy for Amarisa.
A near-death experience her junior year of high school eventually led to a diagnosis of epilepsy.
"I collapsed, my heart stopped for about seven minutes, I had very low oxygen going to my brain," she said. During that time, my mom was trying to save my life. My mom is a CNA, so she gave me CPR."
As a first-generation college student from a split home and low socio-economic background, Amarisa hopes her journey to space serves as an inspiration for all students to reach for the stars just like her.
"My dream is definitely to go to space, make a change and figure out a lot of things that we don't know," she said. "There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to space, so I really want to be involved in making those breakthroughs and making a difference in the world."
Amarisa graduates from FCC this year and will head to UC Berkeley in the fall.
She hopes to be a part of the PoSSUM program through her college career.
A GoFundMe is available to help Amarisa fulfill her passion of research.