A former pageant queen talks about how her unique experiences, her strong sense of identity, and challenges that she overcame when she was training for Miss USA help her to design better space helmets for astronauts. Paromita Mitra works at NASA Johnson Space Center as a Human Interface Engineer for NASA’s next-generation spacesuits. Her research encompasses graphical displays, wearable technology, augmented reality, and developing a heads-up display helmet apparatus to aid in astronaut performance, cognitive workload, and user experience. She has held positions working as an engineer on F-35 engines, designing Earth science satellites, and analyzing human psycho-physiology & cognitive behavior for software development. A first-generation immigrant from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Paromita represented the state of Mississippi at the Miss USA & Miss Teen USA pageants as Miss Mississippi USA 2013 & Miss Mississippi Teen USA 2009, where she traveled to spread awareness on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, & math) literacy topics. Paromita holds master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Mississippi State University. Her passions include diversity in tech and issues of femininity in engineering. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx