Sometimes the indirect route is the best route of all. Nancy Nelsonbegan studying math as an undergraduate at the University of New Mexico. When a professor advised her to be an engineer, she thought, "no way would I ever want to do that!" Instead, she studied
Psychology and Chemistry. However, after graduating she began working in the field of biomedical engineering and realized that engineering was mathematics based.

Looking for a change of pace and place, Nelson took a job at NASA-Ames and relocated to California. It was then that Nelson decided to return to school to obtain her engineering degree. While at San José State, Nelson attended a conference for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and was inspired by a woman engineer who worked in instrumentation and R&D. It became clear to her that she wanted to work in these areas as well.

Experimentation and curiosity were important in Nelson's childhood development. Encouraged by her parents to explore all of her interests, Nelson played with Legos, experimented with cooking, and spent time playing at construction sites with her father, a Civil Engineer. In high school, however,
Nelson was not permitted to take shop, a class for boys.