Mae Jemison

My hero is Mae Jemison. Mae Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Alabama, but was raised in Chicago. She was the first black woman in space. She speaks four languages, is the founder and president of two technology companies, went to medical school and became a doctor, has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies.

Ever since she was a child, Mae Jemison wanted to be an astronaut. She worked hard in school and went to Stanford University on a scholarship when she was sixteen. Mae Jemison was a good student, but since she was black, the teachers were inattentive to her accomplishments.

In 1981, Mae Jemison graduated from Cornell University and became a medical doctor. Before she graduated she traveled to Cuba, Asia and Africa to help sick people, After that, Dr. Jemison spent time in the Peace Corps supervising medical staff.

In 1987, Dr. Jemison was picked from over two thousand applicants to be in the NASA astronaut training program. On September 12, 1992, she became the first black woman to travel into space. Sometime after her space flight, Dr. Jemison left the US space program. In a magazine interview, Dr. Jemison said the reason she left the space program was because she was no longer happy in the program.

The people that Mae Jemison considers heroes are ordinary people because each of their characters and values taught her something important in life. “My mother taught me the importance of lifelong learning and intellectual challenge. Linus Pauling, who won the Nobel Prize in 1952 in biochemistry and again in 1961, is a scientist who helped me know the importance of exploration and discovery but also social responsibilities”. Mae Jemison is my hero because she is a very determined person and she is very brave to have gone into space. She never gave up and she always follows her dreams.