The People of Johnson: Meet Patricia Freyaldenhoven, Secretary

For the last 16 years, Patricia “Pat” Freyaldenhoven has spent much of her time arranging travel, coordinating meetings, ordering supplies, and preparing memos for the Human Health and Performance Directorate’s (HHP) Human Systems Engineering & Integration Division. Her formal job title may be administrative support officer, but Freyaldenhoven also fills an unofficial yet highly valued role.

“I like to think of myself as the division grandma,” she said. “It’s not part of the job, but I like to encourage the people I engage with daily.” Freyaldenhoven said she tries to help those around her whenever she can, and that the welfare of others is very important to her. “My motto is do unto others as you would them do unto you,” she said. “I want to be a blessing to everyone I meet each day, even if it’s just a warm smile.”

Freyaldenhoven’s kind and caring nature is appreciated by her HHP teammates. “In addition to providing excellent administrative support, Pat greets everyone with a smile and brings a very positive atmosphere to the office,” said one colleague. “She tries to learn about everyone in the organization and cares about their total well-being. If someone loses a friend or family member, Pat is often the first to organize a sympathy card and ask how we can best support them. Her optimism and care drive me and others in our division to do our best and care for others as well.”

Freyaldenhoven said she never dreamed of working for NASA, though she has always been interested in space and science fiction and remembers Sputnik’s launch. She was a secretary for the Clear Lake Church of Christ for nine years before a life event prompted her to consider new career opportunities. A neighbor who was a secretary at Johnson put Freyaldenhoven in touch with her supervisor. “I called and made an appointment for an interview, and it kind of all fell into place. I’m so excited to have a role to play in space exploration, even if it’s just tidying up the conference room,” she said.

Freyaldenhoven does not hesitate when asked to share her most memorable experience at Johnson. She recalled an open house in HHP’s Center for Design and Space Architecture, where she had an opportunity to experience several of the lab’s virtual reality programs. “I was in the International Space Station and did a spacewalk. I went out the station door and turned around and looked and I could see the Earth,” she said. “I get goosebumps just thinking about it. It was a spiritual experience to me.” Another standout experience – watching the final space shuttle landing from the Mission Control Center.

She encourages early-career colleagues and those aspiring to join NASA to remember that everybody has been a beginner, to ask for help if needed, and to have faith in themselves. Joking that she might sound like a Dr. Seuss book, Freyaldenhoven said, “You are the only you there is, and nobody can do you better than you.” She also reminds colleagues that everyone makes mistakes, and that failure is always possible, but that is how we learn what does not work. “Practice makes progress, not perfection,” she said.

Reflecting on attributes that make someone successful, Freyaldenhoven stressed the importance of a good work ethic, punctuality, consistency, and reliability. She also believes caring about others and the whole team’s success is critical. “When you hear stories about a race where someone stops to help a teammate, that’s more memorable than who won the race,” she said.

Looking ahead, Freyaldenhoven envisions a future of space exploration that is characterized by a greater international unity, where the whole world works together to inhabit other planets. She also expressed excitement about the ever-expanding opportunities for girls and young women. “When I think about Artemis, I think about her being Apollo’s twin sister, and all of our little sisters coming up and all the opportunities they’re going to have,” she said. “I just want to encourage them to do it.”