Mariana Ospina Pérez is a young Colombian from the municipality of Soacha and was one of the girls recently selected as a crew member of the "She Is Astronaut" program of the She Is Foundation, which invited them to visit NASA at the end of last year.

Mariana is 16 years old, but her height makes her seem younger. She is part of the "Girls Without Fear" foundation, where she is a role model.

"I was very insecure about my body, because of my shortness and my height, but since I joined the foundation and learned that all girls are different, now I have a very clear path and I know what I want to do," said the young scientist.

After returning from her five-day trip to NASA facilities, Mariana realized her strength in programming and it's why she began studying systems engineering in Colombia. 

"I realized that unfortunately science is led more by men than by women. When I entered the race I saw that there were only five women against 30 men," she told CNN.

The young woman dreams of a career in astrophysics, and wants to be an an engineer at NASA. 

Like Mariana, there are many women who are shattering barriers in science. One of the best known Colombians is that of Lady Diana Trujillo, who is a space engineer, and the leader of NASA's Curiosity mission. She currently leads the team of engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in charge of the robotic arm of the Perseverance Rover.

Currently, the She Is Foundation has an open call until Feb. 18 for the 2022 version of the "She Is Astronaut" program.