A Sylheti girl’s mission to NASA
Mahjabin Haque wanted to work for NASA ever since she was a child
Bangladeshi girl Mahjabin Haque has been appointed as a software developer by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Mahjabin, who is from Sylhet, is the first Bangladeshi woman to be employed by the civilian space programme of the United States Federal Government.
She wanted to work for NASA ever since she was a child. "I remember hearing stories about NASA sending people to the moon, and I wanted to be a part of those missions," Mahjabin told the press.
Her father Sayed Enamul Haque is a senior principal officer at Pubali Bank Limited. Their ancestral home is Kadamrasul village in Golapganj upzila under Sylhet district.
About his daughter, Enamul Haque said Mahjabin has keen interest in painting and fashion design. She is also is a good dancer.
Mahjabin Haque, a graduate in computer science from Wayne State University, traveled to the US in 2009 with her parents. At present she is living with her mother Ferdousi Chowdhury and brother Sayed Samiul Haque, while her father lives in Sylhet because of his job.
The talented Bengali youth is also known as an organiser. She formed a Bangladesh Student Association at her university in the US. Mahjabin was elected secretary of the association, and later became its president.
She received a number of job offers from renowned multinational companies including Amazon. She, however, finally settled for NASA.
"My mom played a huge role in turning me into the person I am today. She has always motivated me to go after my dreams fearlessly," she said.
Mahjabin previously worked twice as an intern at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. She served the center as a data analyst and later as a software developer at mission control.