A Bermudian-born engineer working on a moon exploration programme with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration says being confident and assertive are important qualities for young people to succeed.

Kimille Grace Trott, a systems propulsion engineer based in Alabama, said the traits helped to take her from a schoolgirl designing a high school science project to a team leader with a Nasa-contracted firm.

Ms Trott was raised in Huntsville, Alabama, by her parents, Gilbert and the late Kim Grace Trott.

She said the family moved in the mid-1990s after her mother was offered a teaching role in the state.

She grew interested in engineering during middle school, and graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a bachelor's degree in industrial and systems engineering.

The drive for her managerial role, including being a part of Nasa’s Artemis moon exploration programme, started back in high school during a conversation with her father.

“It was definitely during my freshman year in high school when my dad suggested that I do a science fair project, where we created a few different types of rocket fuel to see which one produce the most thrust,” she explained.

The two made a model rocket, testing three types of fuel.

She added: “From there I pretty much loved it and I was like, ‘This is cool; I could do this for ever.”

She said that Huntsville, home to the Marshall Space Flight Centre, contributed to her interests.

“I grew up around space and rocket centres; there are all these model rockets around, so I grew up in the environment, which I think fostered that interest as well.

“It started too when I had an initial interest by watching rocket launches, but I didn’t have a lot of insight into engineering or what engineers do. But that project is what got me started by looking into it more.”

She said she would “definitely give credit to my dad”.

She started out studying aerospace engineering at university but had a change of interest midway and switched to industrial systems engineering, which came with “a wider scope of applications”.

From May to August 2018, near the end of university, she started her internship with a company contracted to Nasa.

Ms Trott asked to stay on part-time through the fall because “I felt that if I wanted to go full-time, that would be the easiest course to take”.

She graduated on December 7, 2018, and started working full-time with Nasa on December 15.

“I think I gave myself a week after graduating and then went straight into full-time,” she said.

She said working at Nasa was “a dream for as long as I can remember”, but would not have guessed it could come so quickly.

“When the opportunity presented itself, I was like, ‘OK I have to take advantage of this, let’s go and let’s start working’.”

Ms Trott is employed as a propulsion systems engineer by the Bevilacqua Research Corporation, a firm providing test and evaluation services for US aerospace projects.

Previously, she worked with the Jacobs Space Exploration Group. Both companies are contracted by Nasa.

She works with a team of engineers for a key part of a rocket set to travel to the moon next year as part of Nasa’s Artemis campaign.

The Artemis 11 mission is slated to take off for the moon by September 2025 with crew aboard a Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.

The crew will spend ten days in orbit before returning to earth.

The mission builds on the Artemis 1 project, in which an unmanned craft went to the moon and orbited in 2022.

Ms Trott said: “In the Artemis programme, we are trying to get to the moon to explore for scientific discovery and learn how to live on another world, because I think the end goal is a mission to Mars.”

She said her team works on “the main propulsion system for the core stage of the rocket which has fuel, the engines and so forth”.

“We perform analysis by making sure that the components are working the way they are intended.”

She helps to train a team that will work at the console in front of the screen for “pre-watch” and launch operations.

“When we sit on the console, it’s for tests and for the day of launch, making sure there are no anomalies or major issues.”

She added that she had performed console duties for the Artemis 1 project.

Ms Trott said she took pride in her Bermuda roots and returned to the island whenever possible.

Sadly, a recent trip home was for a memorial for her mother who passed away in April after a year of battling cancer.

Ms Trott said: “It definitely was a tough time. It was a big blow to me and my family, because my mom was like my biggest supporter, and my dad too.

“Anytime I did anything, any type of recognition I got or anytime I did anything at work, she would be the first person I would call.

“It just meant not being able to share some of the accomplishments and the milestones that I’ve had since she passed, but I am lucky that I have an equally great person in my dad.”

She added: “He is always proud and always encouraging in everything I do.”

Ms Trott said she was always excited to return to the island.

“Coming home to Bermuda always feels great because I love being around my family.

“I always feel so refreshed, grounding with my family and maintaining my roots.”

She added: “The first thing after I got off the plane last week was to get to the beach because I said I have to get into the water.”

Ms Trott will continue pursuing her dreams as a systems engineer but also plans to obtain her private pilot licence.

“I just want to get some more experience in other areas,” she said.

“I feel like I will ultimately come back to Nasa because I want to end my career here maybe in a position of upper management.”

She said she would like to see more Bermudians pursuing engineering careers, and encouraged young people to work hard towards their goals.

“Be confident, believe in yourself and your abilities,” she said.

She urged young women interested in the field to follow through.

“As long as you are confident and comfortable with your abilities, never back down.”