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She is the First African American Woman to Touch the Stars!

author-img By sagnika sinha 5 Mins Read May 17, 2024 Last Updated on: June 19th, 2024

Mae Jemison

Who is Mae Jemison? Did you know that an African American woman went to space? Science is often highlighted as a platform suitable for men. Women are often considered individuals of culture, art, beauty, and imagination. Why don’t you give my blog on uncommon facts about black women a read! 

However, I feel it is not a matter of gender but individuality. I have known women who are attracted towards mathematical calculations and science! Probably Jemison, and she was judged because she was way more than some of her peers or even the teachers!

Maybe her teachers needed to have the imagination to understand her and the practicality or vision to see her capability and talent. She has always been responsible for working in the peace course as a healthcare delivery individual in Sierra Leone and Play Beria.

As a part of her responsibilities, she represented and managed the U.S. Embassy in these areas and served as a staff physician in West Africa for two years. Did you know that her background included research in reproductive biology, rabies vaccine, hepatitis B vaccine and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy?  

If not well, she not only proved her teacher wrong but also helped the world! In the same vein, she constantly urged students to become aware of school lessons, focus on pursuing science and math, and pursue their dreams.

She is the First African American Woman to Touch the Stars!

First African American Woman to Touch the Stars

Very few people can fulfil their dreams from childhood. At a certain point in life, we accept reality and forget to try it a bit harder.

Jemison grew up in Chicago with a father, a maintenance supervisor, and a mother who was a teacher. Apart from having a dream of her own, a dream of her own, Jemison worked hard in space-related subjects. She attended the Chicago public school system and achieved honors in science and math. 

Although her family always supported her, the school staff and teachers discouraged Jamieson from pursuing an education in science. Often, Jemison has recollected how a certain crowd of students was in her. Chicago. Alma matter has been categorized and put in a box.

“Sometimes, people want to limit you because of their own limited imagination!”

What a beautiful thing to say. Isn’t it inspirational for the next generation of women and women of color who are working so hard to make their presence felt in the world of men?

The talented, strong, headstrong, powerful, and intelligent little girl reached for the stars and captured them. Likewise, she received such an honor, she gladly accepted the position as a role model for all African Americans, especially women, and told them that the sky was the limit.

Early Years

Early Years Mae Jemison

Born on 17 October 1956, may Jamison become the first African American woman to be called an astronaut. At the age of three, Jemison came to Chicago with her family, and there, her uncle introduced her to science. She is one of the famous black women in history!

Over the years, she became interested in archaeology, astronomy, anthropology and evolution. As a high school student, she developed an interest in biomedical engineering. In 1973, at 16, Jemison graduated and entered Stanford University.

Her journey into her future starts after she receives a degree in chemical engineering and African American studies in 1977. If more educational awareness was needed, Jemison entered medical school in 1977 in New York City at Cornell University and started pursuing her interest in international medicine. 

Furthermore, she volunteered in a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand for a summer!  Furthermore, in 1979, she studied in Kenya and graduated from medical school in the year 1981.

Career in Peace Corps

Mae Jemison had a very short stint with the Los Angeles medical group as a general practitioner before becoming a medical officer with the Peace Corps in West Africa.

In the Peace Corps and U.S. Embassy Personnel, Mae Jamison managed healthcare and worked in conjunction with the National Institute of Health. Additionally, she also collaborated on several research projects with the Centers for Disease Control, which included the development of the hepatitis B vaccine.

She said excelling in school was an important part of the overall education system and future career. There is a school in Detroit named after her, the Messy Genius and Academy.

Career In NASA

Career In NASA 

She returned to the United States, finally ready to follow her dreams. Jemison went on to apply to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She was one out of the 15 applicants excepted from 2000 in 1987! Jemison completed her NASA training as a mission specialist in 1988.

She became an astronaut office representative at Cape Canaveral, Florida, with the Kennedy Space Centre. Jamison started working on processing space shuttles for launch and verifying shuttle software.

From a young age, she dreamed of travelling to space. It looks like she’s finally living her dream! Simultaneously, her career grew at NASA, she was assigned as a support in a cooperative mission between Japan and the United States. The mission was designed to conduct experiments in the life sciences and materials processing.

Space lab J, STS 47, became the first successful joint Japan-US space mission in September 1992. Jemison was a part of this mission. Finally, her maiden spaceflight came in 1992, with the week-long September mission of the shuttle Endeavour. The only African American woman astronaut during that time who went to space.

This was the mission on which she set a record and completed it. Jemison then formed the Jemison group to develop advanced technologies and market them. The gap that has been experienced by people of color for so long is being addressed in recent times.

Future of NASA

Future of NASA

Of course, these initiatives are being taken because women like Mae Jemison prove their worth. In a very recent event, there have been talks of NASA aiming to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon! This is the ultimate space program that was launched in 2017 and aims for humans to land on the moon by 2025.

Apparently, the plan includes Jessica Meyer, the first woman and the first person of color on the moon! When this happens, it might be a global feat by NASA. This became possible because of women like Jamieson, who not only proved themselves but also paved a path for women of color related to future ventures in space.

Jemison asserted that it is totally about individuals’ perceptions, and these preconceived ideas discourage children from reaching for the stars. Besides being an active public speaker, Dr Jamie’s son started teaching at Dartmouth College after her stint in space.

Mae Jemison Net Worth

Mae Jemison Net Worth

It is not surprising that Jamison was not only a gifted astronaut but also a well-known physician. As of 2024, her net worth is $372,0006. Considering she is the first African American woman to travel to space, this is a huge achievement and a milestone in the pages of black history.

Did you know that? She also went on a special endeavor in 1992. For me? It is a fact that I’m proud of, especially as a woman. I do not care about ethnicity, but the way women as a gender have been highlighted as weak, it is women like Jamison who do us proud. Even though it is nowhere near Michelle Obama net worth?

Mae Jamison is the director of Scholastic Corp (SCHL), which has a stock of over 302,986 dollars. She owns about 8487 shares of SCHL. She is also the director of the Valspar Corp (VAL), in which she owns about 13,749 shares. The stock of the VAL shares is worth over $69,020. She was also the director of Kimberly-Clark Corp!

Currently, she owns three stocks, which significantly establish her position in the market. Apart from having a good hold in the transactional market, Jamieson also identifies as a strong woman. Being a member of NASA after the peace course validates her current position.

Future of Mae Jemison

She worked on experiments related to bone loss during spaceflight, frog fertilization in space and space motion, and sickness while walking in the space lab life science Mission. You will be surprised to know that the personal mentors that Jemison carried as an astronaut in space included proclamations from the Chicago public school system!

Along with others related to her Alpha, Kappa Alpha, sorority banner, organization of African unity, and many others! It was probably to remind her how far she had come and how wrong she had sold the others. After her return from Jemison, she visited an elementary school where a principal told her how men were more knowledgeable in science!  

Finishing Off…

In short, it is important for us to realize that Mae Jemison created a legacy worth following. You will feel inspired to achieve more than the world expects you to. Create your legacy without worrying about what the world will think about you.

Comment on what you make of her as a woman of color, Mae Jemison, who is working hard to create the path for the future generation.

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sagnika sinha

Sagnika Sinha is a content writer who is passionate about writing travel vlogs, entertainment and celebrity articles and literature-based pieces. With a 4 years experience in teaching, she loves reading books. A procrastinator by nature, she loves travelling, listening to music, planting and gardening.

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