Andrea C. Lloyd

Sitting at a laptop, Andrea Lloyd writes. There’s a Moleskine notepad open, scrawled with interview notes in black ink. Everyone else would have coffee, but a swig of caffeine from a soda keeps her going a little longer. For over five years, she’s returned to some form of this position. Open notebook. Open laptop. Open Dr. Pepper.

In January 2019, Andrea opened her first government-furnished laptop. An Apple Mac. She’s an intern at NASA Langley in Hampton, Virginia, with the Public Affairs department. Recently departed from Texas A&M University with her Communications B.S., she devours any work: outreach, news stories, social media, fact sheets, scripts. If it involved a keyboard, Andrea probably tried her hand at it. Interviewing scientists and engineers was a favorite task. From those meticulous notes in neat handwriting, she shared the work across the center: aeronautics, aerospace, Earth sciences… anything was game.

After seven months, she returned to home to pursue a Master of Arts in Advertising from the University of Texas in Austin. While the first semester included racing between buildings to the next class, the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic struck, leaving her finishing three semesters remotely. For Zoom classes, Andrea was using her personal laptop, a Lenovo equipped with Sally Ride and Bill Nye the Science Guy stickers. When taking a break from the screen, Andrea explored Austin’s nature parks through hiking and paddleboarding. Both continue to be a favorite pastime today. The thesis grind began in her second year, where she stayed in her Lenovo-notebook-Dr. Pepper configuration for several months. Writing. Researching. Editing. Writing. In May 2021, Andrea presented her completed research about NASA’s public relations efforts over fifty years.

Andrea accepted a position with the U.S. Geological Survey for the Landsat Science program in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In June 2021, she opened a new government-furnished laptop. A Microsoft Dell. Today, she continues writing, tweeting, posting, and captioning for the Landsat program. When onsite at USGS EROS, she’ll give tours of the historic building to the public. The excitement shines through her face as she explains the satellite imagery program that the center is known for. When the guests have left, Andrea stops by the vending machine for a fresh Dr. Pepper before returning to her Dell and notebook.