• Brooke Owens Fellow, Class of 2023

• Rutgers University - New Brunswick, Astrophysics and Art History, ‘23

• Host Institution: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

• Mentor: Yajaira Sierra-Sastre

• Brookie Mentor: TBD

Celín Rachel Hidalgo was born in Las Tunas, Cuba, and came to the United States ten years ago. She is currently attending Rutgers University, where she double majors in Astrophysics and Art History and minors in Mathematics. She will graduate with her bachelor’s degree in May 2023 and will continue her education, obtaining a Ph.D. in the Astrophysical Sciences.

Coming from a Hispanic background, Celín is interested in helping women from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds obtain an education and be represented in STEM-related fields. On campus, she helped found the Rutgers Union of Cuban American Students to share the Cuban culture and heritage with her classmates.

Celín grew up in a household where the fields of science and art were always intertwined; hence she decided to continue her college education by pursuing multidisciplinary research in physics and art. She designed and taught a 10-week seminar to first-year students as a senior under the offices of Career and Exploration and F.I.G.S. at Rutgers University. In the seminar, Exploring Art History, Celín imparted the classes and study of art through the lenses of physics, sharing and uniting her love for both.

Besides her passion for teaching, Celín is also interested in conducting research. On campus, she participates in programs like the Aresty Research Center, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, and Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. She hopes to continue to conduct research in the Astrophysical Sciences, focusing on Observational Astronomy in Graduate School.

As a Brooke Owens Fellow in 2023, Celín is thrilled to be interning with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center this summer!