Dr. Mae Carol Jemison is a pioneer of space travel. Being the first African American women to travel through space, she embarked on studying the effects of zero gravity on animals and people. As a doctor and astronaut, she was able to help research progress, and she was able to build up a good reputation.
Dr. Jemison was born in Decatur, Alabama on October 17, 1956. She was raised in Chicago since the age of 3. She did well in school from a young age. She did well enough to earn the National Achievement Scholarship at the age of sixteen. She attended and graduated from Stanford in 1977 at the age of 21 with a Bachelor of Science (B.S) in chemical engineering, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A) in African-American studies. She attended medical school at Cornell University and became a Doctor of Medicine (MD) in 1981. While in medical school, she traveled to Cuba , Africa, and Asia to help sick people. After medical school, she spent time in the Peace Corps supervising medical staff and working in a pharmacy. In 1985, after returning from the Peace Corps, Dr. Jemison secured a position with the Cigna Health Plans of California as a general practitioner in Los Angeles, California. In 1987, Dr. Jemison fulfilled a lifelong dream of being an astronaut when she was accepted into N.A.S.A.’s training program out of over 2,000 applicants. On September 12,1992, she was the first African-American women to fly into Outer Space. On the mission she served as a Science Mission Specialist on Space Lab J. She embarked on a mission to study the effects on zero gravity on people and animals.
After flying in space, Dr. Jemison taught at Dartmouth college on the topics of developing new countries, and advanced technology. She then created the Jemison group, which works to bring advanced technology to people worldwide and foster a love of science to students.
Since childhood, Mae looked up to the sky even though black women had never been there. Like many people, Dr. Jemison worked hard to reach her goal. Many people consider her a true hero to many young women because she helped so many people along the way to reach her dream. Like a true hero, she continues to help others.
“It’s the birth right of everyone who is on the planet. We need to get every group of people in the world involved because it is something that eventually we in the world community are going to have to share.”
