Mae Carol Jemison: Breaking Barriers in Space and Inspiring the Next Generation

Never limit yourself because of others' limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.” Jemison was just a young black girl when she first became interested in science. Her parents, Charles Jemison and Dorothy Jemsion, were both intrigued by the topic and decided to pass their knowledge onto their daughter. Her mother was an elementary school teacher and her father was a carpenter. They both were very supportive of Maes interests and did not hesitate to give her any help she needed in order to support her wishes.

One of Jemison’s greatest accomplishments was that she became the first African-American woman in space in 1992. This title gave Jemison a great name dealing with such a big achievement.

Mae Carol Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. She moved to Chicago at the age of 3, which she considers her hometown. When she moved to Chicago, is when her uncle introduced her to the world of science. Mae then developed interests in anthropology, archaeology, and astronomy that she pursued throughout her childhood.

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She was the youngest of 3 beautiful children born to a Maintenance worker and an elementary school teacher. As She grew older, her interest in science became greater. They never failed her as she continued to pursue her dream of being a scientist.

Jemison attended Morgan Park High School, located in Chicago. As she went to school, she was able to graduate early and attend Stanford University on a scholarship at the age of 16. At Stanford, she studied chemical engineering and African-American studies, and then received her bachelors in both.

Later in 1981, she went to Cornell University to earn her doctorate in medicine. She applied to the NASA’s astronaut program and was put on the waiting list. In 1987, Jemison was one of the 15 out 2000 candidates selected for NASA’s program. After a year of training, she became the first Black woman in space. She then fulfilled her job as an astronaut while still working with NASA. Jemison never interfered with anyone as far as serious relationships. She separated her personal life and her work life and is currently not in any form of a relationship.

One of Jemison’s major accomplishments is her earning of the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal. She earned this medal due to her continuous hard work for the NASA community and Astronomy as a whole. She is such an important person to her field of work because of the way she executes what she needs to execute the correct way. Although she was afraid of heights, she put her ego aside and pushed through to complete her mission in space. Jemison is important today because she is a role model to young black girls who want to pursue a career in science as a whole or astronomy to be specific.

Jemison has a variety of quotes who give the world a glimpse of who she actually is and what she stands for. One of her most famous quotes is “Never limit yourself because of others' limited imagination; never limit others because of your own limited imagination.'' This quote means that you should not stop someone from expanding because you only have a mindset to a certain point, and vice versa. She has no published works.

I feel that Jemison is a great attribution to the black community because she shows us that we should never limit our abilities, but to push for the stars at all times because you never know what you many get out of it. Also that African- American girls are a huge impact to the world and to pursue your dreams at a very early age so that you can be on the right track. One of the most important things she has ever done was apply to the NASA program because then she would have never had that title as the first black woman in space, which is a huge accomplishment, especially for the black community.