Cauffman, daughter of María Jerónima Rojas, was born in Costa Rica in a one-parent home of very scarce resources in Hatillo. She grew up extremely poor, but refused to give up her love for space science. Cauffman had been inspired by the first Moon landing and recalled that she told her mother that she too, wanted to go to the Moon. Cauffman recalls that she had a difficult childhood, moving often and with her mother working two or three jobs at a time. Her mother, however, supported Cauffman's dreams and whenever Cauffman thought things were too hard, she looked to her mother for inspiration.