Humans at the Heart: Moxie Garcia Follows Human Factors Calling

Going Back to School

Monique “Moxie” Garcia (’25) enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to earn a degree and further her career, but also to fulfill her dreams and honor a loved one. She served the country for over a decade before transitioning to a civilian career amidst the tragic loss of her long-time mentor. She credits this experience as the catalyst for her return to higher education and a reminder to invest in her passions to make the most out of her life.

“During that transitional period, I had a significant, life-altering experience that required deep soul searching,” she said. “Everything really unfolded from that moment, and my mentor continues to serve as a source of motivation for my personal and professional aspirations.”

Moxie initially returned to school and earned her first master’s degree in Kinesiology and Physiology, but found she had a particular interest in how the human body behaves in space. As she kicked off her career in the human factors field, she felt inspired to narrow her studies and career even further.

“I felt deeply moved to work in human spaceflight,” she explained.

Moxie explored programs that would guide her toward the exact roles and organizations she wanted to join, and Embry-Riddle's Master of Science in Human Factors at the Worldwide & Online Campus stood out from the rest.

“I understood that this program would make me more valuable and better educated in ways most meaningful to my teams and counterparts,” she said. “This program offered what I was interested in and covered areas where I lacked knowledge, which made it an easy decision.”

Experiential Learning: From Classroom to Career

Moxie approached her degree intentionally — she wanted to incorporate her interests into every assignment and project to keep her coursework aligned with her goals. As she transitioned between jobs, she focused on how her program could advance her career.

“I did some fine-tuning with my assignments to make sure I was always relating a topic to something I could enjoy researching,” she said. “This really helped with acclimating to my [current] role.”

Moxie began working on Lockheed Martin’s Orion Spacecraft program during her studies, performing verification and validation processes, including testing and reporting on the launch abort system, crew module, crew systems, European service module, avionics and heat shield. Engaging in hands-on experiences and relevant coursework throughout Moxie’s master’s program supported her growth in her professional role.

“I am able to engage deeply with human spaceflight, to such a degree that I have the privilege of testing and using the same software, hardware and systems that the astronauts use and test with,” Moxie said. “Being able to engage my senses, be present and have experiential learning environments is very rewarding and ultimately allows me to be a better human factors engineer in so many ways.”

Simulating Spaceflight in Real Life

Moxie embraced transformative, hands-on experiences both inside and outside of her master’s program. In 2021, she was selected as an analog astronaut for NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) program, a long-term spaceflight simulation experience. While excited about the opportunity, she wondered how she would stay on track with her degree plan.

“I met my advisor, and she provided me with a course schedule based on the expectations I had for myself,” she said. Her new plan included working breaks into her academic schedule.

Her advisor, professors and peers supported this opportunity, and she was able to take courses and fulfill degree requirements at her own pace. Having this flexibility allowed her to continue thriving in her missions and at work.

“After completing my program, I realized that those breaks allowed me to integrate and practice what I had learned in real time with NASA through analog missions and my work on the Orion Spacecraft and Artemis missions,” she said. “I still think about how helpful it truly was to have those rare opportunities for integration and practice while also learning.”

The encouragement Moxie received from her Embry-Riddle community helped her take advantage of the opportunities before her to prepare for key professional milestones without abandoning her academic aspirations.

Maintaining the Human Factor

Moxie's career in human factors engineering has consistently reached new heights over the last few years, but it did not always have such direction and momentum. She navigated difficult transitions and personal loss by investing in her education and turning the page in her work life.

“Because of my education, I am able to have a career in what I believe is my calling, which is incredibly meaningful to me,” she said.

She is also studying the Japanese language and culture and hopes to partner with international space and aerospace agencies.

“I believe that international collaboration is immensely beneficial for the future of human spaceflight and space exploration, and partnering with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is one of my goals.”

Moxie’s study of the human elements of technology transformed her perspective on her personal and professional future. She looks forward to the future of the human factors field, especially as the study and exploration of space remains central to global initiatives.

“Studying Human Factors reminded me that humans are at the heart of everything,” she said. “Even with the growing adoption of automation and artificial intelligence, I see that it is necessary to research and understand how we, as humans, interact with, correct, trust and collaborate with our new technology.”