MAE JEMISON

On the 17th of October 1956, Charlie and Dorothy

Jemison, a carpenter and a teacher, had a child named
Mae Jemison in Decatur, Alabama.
When she was three years old, her family moved to
Chicago. Already as a kid, she has loved sciences and
space. When her teacher asked her what Mae wanted
to do as an adult, the girl answered:’’a scientist’’. Her
teacher didn’t believe her and thought she meant a
nurse.
As a teenager, Mae was keen on dancing and watching
Star Trek. Her favorite character in this TV show was
Nyotat Uhara because this actor was an
African-American astronaut (in the TV show). Mae
graduated in Chemical engineering and Africanism at
the University of Stanford. Then she got a diploma in medicine at Weill Medical
College. The young woman learned to speak Russian, Japanese, and Swahili. After
getting her diploma, she volunteered as a doctor of the Peace Corp in Liberia and
Sierra Leone from 1983 to 1985. When the first American woman, Sally Ride, and
the first African-American, Guion Bluford, were sent to space by the NASA (National
Aeronautics and Space Administration), Mae realized that she forgot her childhood
dream: going to space. So she decided to postulate to the astronaut program
because she was determined to do it and not for the fame. A year later, the positive
answer arrived and Mae was explained that she was accepted due to her diversified
profile (chemistry, humanitarian aid, and dance). Mae was selected to participate in
the STS-47 mission that was to fly with the shuttle known as “Endeavor”. The
woman spent more than seven days in space from 12 to 18 September 1998 and
became the first African-American femal astronaut. Back on Earth, she established
an international space camp for students from twelve to sixteen years old. The
astronaut also played in the Star Trek TV show. This incredible woman also leads
the program “100-Year Starship” that has the goal of sending Humans out of the
Solar System within the end of the century.

In my opinion, Mae Jemison is a self-made woman because she succeeded, thanks

to her hardwork and determination as she was hardworking and determinated.
Forthermore, in this scientific carrer ruled by white male, she overcame prejudices of
being a woman and an African-American. That is why she represents a symbol for all
black girls proving that dreams can come true.