Rose Ferreira’s path to NASA was shaped by setbacks few people would expect to overcome. She battled poverty, homelessness and cervical cancer while pursuing an education in science, eventually earning degrees that led her into the US space agency. NASA later celebrated her resilience in an employee profile that highlighted her unconventional journey into aerospace. But the story took an unexpected turn in 2025. While Ferreira was recovering from pneumonia, she discovered that her NASA profile had disappeared from the agency’s website. Days later, it was restored, but the episode was not over. Just 20 days after she publicly addressed its removal, NASA fired her.
Why NASA removed Rose Ferreira’s story from its website
The NASA article about Ferreira had been more than a routine employee profile. Teachers had used it in classroom presentations, and it documented how she had moved from an impoverished childhood in the Dominican Republic to studying science in the United States and eventually working for NASA.In January, the article disappeared from NASA’s website. At the time, a wave of executive orders and directives from President Donald Trump was prompting federal agencies to cancel programmes and reduce their workforces. NASA’s acting administrator, Janet Petro, began bringing the agency’s policies in line with the new administration. Part of that shift involved ending offices and programmes linked to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives.Ferreira discovered that the page had disappeared in February 2025 while recovering from pneumonia. A teacher contacted her after noticing that the material was no longer available.The timing mattered. Following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, federal agencies were instructed to end or review programmes associated with diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. NASA began reviewing material on its websites as part of its response to those directives. Ferreira’s profile was caught up in that process.According to Space.com, the page had been temporarily unpublished because Goddard employee profiles were being reviewed. The agency said the article was restored several days later and remained online.For Ferreira, however, the disappearance landed differently. Her concern was not simply that a webpage had been removed. The article represented years of work and a part of her history that she had deliberately chosen to make public. She said its removal made her feel that pieces of what she had achieved were being erased.
How Rose Ferreira’s difficult childhood shaped her path to education
Ferreira grew up in the Dominican Republic in circumstances she describes as extremely poor. Education, as she experienced it, was largely about learning practical domestic skills rather than pursuing academic interests.She was curious about the universe from an early age. Her understanding of the world was initially limited to simple questions about the sun and moon, but she wanted explanations that went beyond the answers she was given at home.Ferreira has spoken publicly about extensive abuse during her childhood. She eventually left the Dominican Republic and legally moved to the United States when she was about 16.New York did not immediately provide the fresh start she had hoped for. After leaving a young marriage, she became homeless and spent roughly three years living beneath a bridge on 96th Street in Manhattan.“Everybody turned their back on me, and I ended up homeless,” she said.Her circumstances began to change almost by accident. She eventually obtained her GED and began studying at Hunter College after her circumstances began to change almost by accident through an advertisement.
How Rose Ferreira’s studies led to NASA internships and fellowships
At Hunter College, Ferreira said an adviser warned her against studying science because of her limited mathematics background. She enrolled anyway, despite the challenges.In 2016, while working as a home health aide, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. A year later, she was struck by a car while walking home from work. During her recovery, she left Hunter and continued her studies remotely through Arizona State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in astronomy and planetary sciences. Her work led to NASA fellowships and internships, followed by a master’s degree in space systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University.A friend later encouraged Ferreira to share her experiences on Twitter. Her story gained attention, leading to speaking opportunities and STEM outreach work for students with limited access to science resources.At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, she worked on the team that released the James Webb Space Telescope’s first deep-field image. She also appeared in a Spanish-language NASA video and was mentored by Thomas Zurbuchen.NASA featured Ferreira in 2022, the same year she became a Brooke Owens Fellow. Two years later, she joined NASA as a full-time analyst.
Her first NASA internship came in 2022
Ferreira’s first NASA internship was at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in 2022.During her internship, Ferreira worked with a team involved in releasing the first deep-field image from the James Webb Space Telescope. She also recorded a Spanish-language voice-over for a NASA video.She was mentored by Thomas Zurbuchen, then associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and had the opportunity to shadow him at NASA headquarters.That same year, NASA published the profile that later became the centre of controversy. Ferreira was also selected as a Brooke Owens Fellow, a programme aimed at supporting women and other underrepresented groups entering the aerospace sector.In early 2024, NASA hired her as a full-time analyst. Later that year, she was recognised at the White House as a Young Hispanic Leader in the space industry.
How NASA’s policy changes affected Rose Ferreira’s story
After the 2024 US election, Ferreira noticed growing uncertainty inside NASA, including concerns about job losses and programme changes. As the agency reviewed diversity-related material, several webpages were altered or removed.Ferreira’s own profile was temporarily taken down while she was recovering from pneumonia. She later wrote about it on Threads, where the post drew more than 85,000 likes and 11,000 shares, according to Space.com. NASA colleagues reached out with support, and the agency said Goddard employee profiles had been temporarily removed for review. Ferreira’s story was eventually restored.She said she did not blame the employees involved, but found the removal painful after overcoming homelessness, illness, financial hardship and educational barriers to build her career in science.
She returned to work after pneumonia
Ferreira was cleared to return to work on February 21, 2025, but was fired just three days into her first week back. She entered a meeting with her supervisor and found an HR representative waiting. She was told she was not meeting the responsibilities of her role, then escorted from the building after collecting her belongings.Her dismissal came 20 days after she publicly posted about NASA removing her profile. NASA declined to comment on the specific personnel decision.
The firing left unanswered questions
Ferreira was still a provisional federal employee when she was dismissed, amid wider efforts to reduce the federal workforce. However, she said NASA did not cite that status as the reason. The timing also raised questions because the White House had said on February 19 that provisional employees would be exempt from planned layoffs.There is no public evidence proving her firing was connected to her Threads post or the removal of her profile. Still, the timing fueled speculation. For Ferreira, the loss was also personal after she had formed close relationships at NASA and received support from colleagues during difficult periods.
