After the Apollo moon landing in the 60s, space enthusiasts set their eyes on the next target: Mars. But four decades of unsuccessful human landings has pushed back the estimated landing date.

For one UTEP student, the year 2030 could not come fast enough.

Hired by NASA on his first day of graduate school, Jesus Trillo is ready to start his career as a mechanical engineer at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

“I always knew I wanted to be an astronaut,” Trillo said. “That was always the end goal.”

After a visit to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas,  Trillo left starstruck by both the equipment and possibilities. Unlike most children who abandoned the idea of becoming an astronaut as they grew older, Trillo remained passionate about space after visiting the center during a class trip.

With a renewed inspiration to become an astronaut, Trillo wasted no time as a UTEP freshman and spent his first summer as an intern for General Motors in Arlington, Texas.

From there on, there was not a summer he did not spend working on his goal of being contracted by NASA. He interned in Alabama, Mississippi and Houston, until he was admitted into NASA’s Pathway Intern Employment Program—a highly competitive program for recent graduates who wish to be considered for federal employment. But, he said, the journey was not easy.

Trillo’s first internship with NASA marked the summer he knew what he wanted to do with his career. He worked in the Propulsion Systems Department of the Marshall Center’s Engineering Directorate, where he helped engineers test the components of F1 engines.

His participation with the department sparked an interest in him that steered him in the direction of mechanical engineering.

“Propulsion is what I’m passionate about,” Trillo said.

Trillo’s mentor at the Marshall Center and propulsion system engineer, Nick Case, agrees with him.

“I expect to hear a lot more about him in the near future, and hopefully he’ll help lead us in accomplishing the bold goals NASA is pursuing,” Case stated in an interview with NASA in 2012.

With two NASA internships under his belt, Trillo prepared himself to graduate with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and apply for a position at NASA.

When NASA rejected his application, he decided to stay for his master’s at UTEP, a move he chose because NASA typically only hires students still enrolled in school.

His decision to continue his studies was supported by the chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahsan R. Choudhuri, whose work motivated and inspired Trillo to not become disheartened by the lack of response.

Working alongside Choudhuri, Trillo was able to pay for graduate school and gain more experience with his field of study. He says his internships, research work and graduate school all pushed him to apply one last time.

After eight months of waiting, he received news of his employment the first day of graduate school. Although time flew by after the first hard couple of months, he was thrilled when he received a position as a mechanical engineer in Florida.

Stating he still has a long way to go, Trillo remains positive toward the work he will start this coming February with NASA.

He graduates this December with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, but he said his goal is still to become an astronaut and that he has quite a few years to go before he can fulfill his dream. Becoming an astronaut is even more difficult than being hired by NASA, he said, but he thinks that maintaining his work ethic and attitude he’s had since his first couple of years at UTEP will carry him through the application process one more time.

“He’s a great leader,” said  Jacklyn Mona, a close friend of Trillo and a graduate student in mechanical engineering. “He always helps other students so they won’t fall behind in school.”

In the time between starting at NASA and becoming an astronaut, Trillo wants to help NASA with the big accomplishments Case predicted.

“I want to be as involved in the journey to Mars as I can be,” he said. “I want to help make history.”

After two summers of interning for NASA, Trillo is ready to become a permanent member of the NASA team.

“It’s amazing,” he says. “I still can’t believe it.”

With his perseverant attitude, Trillo might just make it all the way to Mars.

Mariana Rodriguez may be reached at [email protected].