Allison Porter Carpenter, a first-generation college student from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has a successful career at NASA, where she works with the Lunar Architecture Team and contributes to crew systems integration for the Orion spacecraft. Her work supports preparations for Artemis II, the NASA’s first crewed lunar flight in over 50 years. Artemis II is set to launch from Kennedy Space Center on April 1 and will send four astronauts around the Moon and back, testing spacecraft systems and deep-space operations in preparation for future lunar landings. Carpenter credits her success to her mentor, academic advisers and professors who guided her into her career. She also completed a master's at MIT and a doctorate at Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology.