March 13, 2024

Sasi Kondru

11th Grade

Lebanon Trail High School

   Under 9% of STEM-related bachelor's degrees in the US were earned by African Americans in 2023. The race and gender gap in STEM has historically been prevalent due to a lack of STEM-related opportunities or resources for marginalized communities. Additionally, due to the field being traditionally male-dominated and having little diversity, many people, especially women of color, feel discouraged to pursue a STEM-related career. 

However, Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel to space, serves as an inspiration for bringing change. Mae Jemison has had a commendable career in astronautics and engineering. She was the first African African woman to travel to space.

Mae Jemison was born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, and was very interested in science from a young age. Inspired by Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura on the television series Star Trek, Jemison was determined to go to space when she grew up. After she graduated high school at just 16 years old, Jemison went to Stanford University, where she studied Chemical Engineering and African-American studies. Despite facing racial discrimination at Stanford, she persevered and got her degree. Jemison later got her doctorate and opened a private practice. 

After seeing Sally Ride become the first American woman in space, Jemison decided to apply to NASA. Jemison was one of 15 out of over 2000 applications selected in 1987 for NASA Astronaut Group 12. In 1992, she was the first African-American woman to go to space, finally achieving her childhood dream. In 1993, after serving as an astronaut for 6 years, she retired from being an astronaut. She went on to lead the 100-Year Starship Project, a project dedicated to making traveling to another star possible within 100 years.  

Jemison has also received several awards and honors, such as honorary doctorates, the Ebony Black Achievement Award, and the Essence Science and Theology Award. Additionally, she has been a part of several organizations such as the American Medical Association and the World Sickle Cell Foundation.

Jemison’s contributions and legacy live on, and she has inspired many women of color to go into a STEM-related field and pursue their dreams.