Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to travel space in 1992, when she joined six other astronauts aboard the Endeavor space shuttle.
She spoke to Girl Scouts Thursday night for the Sky's the Limit event, and she was joined on stage by another woman scientist: Storm Center 7 Chief Meteorologist McCall Vrydaghs, who was the emcee for the event.
It was a standing ovation for the star of the night, before Jemison even started speaking to the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio.
“What did I do when I doubted myself and I said, I don’t really do that?”
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Her resume shows, she really didn’t have time for that.
She was a NASA astronaut for six years, and was the first black woman to go to space.
“As I looked out at the rest of the universe, and stars, I felt connected with the universe that I had a right to be here as much as any speck of stardust,” she said.
Jemison said it’s important to create a more diverse workforce in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields.
“We need to have full representation of the skill sets, of the perspectives, of the experiences in this world,” she said.
“Who gets involved makes a difference in how we design technologies.”
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Vrydaghs said she agrees.
“Whatever your dreams are, if you’re someone who is interested in science, technology, engineering and math, just give it a go and just see where it takes you,” she said.
