Nothing Stops Sabrina

woman in microelectronics lab wearing bunny suit

By Rachael Tiehel

Many kids are born with a natural curiosity about the world. For six-year-old Sabrina Rosa- Ortiz, the science lab her father built so she could run mini experiments would pave the way to her STEM career at Northrop Grumman. Though that road was not easy, Sabrina decided long ago that she’d use her knowledge to pay her dad back someday.

Sabrina’s dad enlisted in the United States armed forces when she was young. Being active-duty from 1982 to 2022, he was moving to different duty stations, and she missed being with him, but felt his dedication to her education every time she toyed with science in her lab.

This Story Begins in Puerto Rico

Sabrina grew up in Puerto Rico, and even though money was tight, her parents always found a way to encourage their children to explore the world and seize every opportunity, especially when it came to their education.

In school, Sabrina took to physics, and in high school she started doing research for the University of Puerto Rico while working towards her diploma. Fortunately, the two schools were located directly next door to each other.

At just 17 she published a research paper on Carbon Nanotubes and Actuators, a major step towards cost-effective, water-proof wearable devices we use today to monitor personal health data. This was just the first of many professional accomplishments for Sabrina.

While completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Puerto Rico, different summer internships in the United States popped up and Sabrina took full advantage - studying at University of Pennsylvania, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Vermont and Princeton, while completing research in optics and physics. Thanks to an American Physics Society scholarship, she traveled back and forth from the U.S., eventually graduating in 2016.

She moved to the U.S. that fall, having been accepted to the University of South Florida (USF). One week before classes started, she was informed her acceptance was being revoked. She flew to the school to speak to the department chair of the Electrical Engineering program, thinking this had to be a mistake. She was told that she would need to take additional classes before enrolling in the program, so she stayed in the area to take the courses and conduct research on the side.

This could have been a huge blow to her confidence after moving her entire life to a new place, only to be told she could not begin the journey her heart was set on, but it didn’t stop Sabrina.

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Sabrina and her family – her other “why” for never stopping in the face of adversity.

Tip Toeing Into Innovation

During her time at USF, she earned a patent for developing a process to create interconnects in circuits that would work at high and low temperatures.

"I knew it was something revolutionary when I did it in nine seconds - I thought if that goes to research or a national lab, it’s going to be huge,” Sabrina said. Her professor helped her file for the patent. This was the first time this technology was tested on different surfaces such as textiles, which paved the way for wearable electronics we use today. The patent was filed in 2016, but Sabrina tested the technology again year after year, proving not only success, but reliability in the products.

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women wearing collage graduation robe standing next to man

Sabrina defended her thesis at University of South Florida (USF) while nine months pregnant.

Dreams Become Reality

In April of 2020 Sabrina defended her thesis at USF, while 9-months pregnant. After graduation, she held a few jobs in the industry, but nothing felt like her dream role.

In 2024, Sabrina saw Northrop Grumman’s slogan of ‘defining possible,’ which resonated with her. She applied to a role in Apopka and landed the job as a Microelectronic Semiconductors Engineer, specializing in plating and photolithography, the position she still holds today.

“Collaborating with the teams, launching projects, testing what we do for efficiency and quality; all very rewarding pieces of the job,” Sabrina said. “Nothing was going to stop me from taking this opportunity with Northrop Grumman.”

“This is my actual dream job; the company does everything I've always wanted. My dad always supported me, and it feels like, in a small way, this is a way I can support him - knowing the products we make help warfighters have an advantage in the battlespace,” said Sabrina.

The 31-year-old woman she is today knows nothing stopped that six-year-old little girl from conducting her own experiments and nothing stopped the graduate student from pursuing her education. Everything life had in store only propelled her forward as she wanted to chase her career dream while building a life and a family.

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Life at Northrop Grumman

Your work at Northrop Grumman makes a difference. Whether you want to design next-generation aircraft, harness digital technologies or build spacecraft that will return humanity to the moon, you’ll contribute to technology that’s transforming the world. Check out our career opportunities to see how you can help define possible.

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