Katherine G. Johnson

Katherine G. Johnsonhttps://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography“Well into her 90s, Katherine Goble could recall that winking dot of light in the sky as vividly as if it were still October 1957. She stood outside in the unseasonably warm autumn nights of that year and tracked the shiny pinpoint as it moved low across the horizon,” (Shetterly). Katherine Goble Johnson was able to recall this groundbreaking moment in her life because of the hard work she put forth throughout her life. She was born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia on August 26, 1918 and is still alive today. National Equality Day falls on August 26th, which is immensely important to the time period she grew up in. She excelled in math programs in school and had one made for her. She and two other African American male students were the first to attend West Virginia University and enroll in their math program. However, she decided to leave to start a family with her husband, James Goble. Katherine later heard at a family gathering that NASA was hiring African American women to be human computers. She held a permanent position at NASA in 1956 shortly after her husband died. From then on she continued to excel perfecting her math calculations, being an important asset to NASA’s space programs. A hero must put in effort and hard work to achieve what they stand for. They must think of others before themselves and make the change they wish to see not for seeking a reward. Katherine Johnson dedicates her entire life to persistent hard work and inspires society through proving that growing up with segregation doesn’t stop someone from thinking differently of themselves.

Johnson at hard workhttps://medium.comKatherine Johnson put in hard work and persistence into every calculation she performed at NASA while putting aside the unfairness of segregation and reaching her goals. She pushed herself under the circumstances of what society was like at the time: “‘Let me do it,’ Katherine said to Ted Skopinski. Working with Skopinski as a computer (or ‘math aide,’ as the women had been renamed when the NACA became NASA), she had proven herself to be as reliable with numbers as a Swiss timepiece and deft with higher-level conceptual work. She was older than many of her colleagues, some of whom were just out of college, but she matched them at every turn for enthusiasm and work stamina. The fellas were putting everything they had on the line, and she was not going to be left out. ‘Tell me where you want the man to land, and I’ll tell you where to send him up,’ she said” (Shetterly). Because of her efforts, she proved herself to be just as good at her job as the young white men. During this time period segregation and discrimination were present. She was persistent in getting the same opportunities as the other workers. She continued to put in the hard work and made sure things were done right by asking questions: “Katherine once remarked that while many of her colleagues refrained from asking questions or taking tasks further than merely 'what they were told to do,' she chose instead to ask questions because she 'wanted to know why.' For Katherine, finding the 'why' meant enrolling in high school at the age of 10; calculating the trajectory of Alan Shepherd's trip to space and the Apollo 11's mission to the moon; and providing the foundation that will someday allow NASA to send our astronauts to Mars. She literally wrote the textbook on rocket science” (PR Newswire). Unlike her fellow colleagues Katherine was passionate for what she was doing and continued to put in the hard work and asked questions which showed it. By doing this throughout her career, she has proven she is a hero and has received many awards for her accomplishments. She didn’t do all this hard work to receive and award, she just wanted to make sure everything was done correctly. Katherine Johnson showed she is a hero through her hard work in being persistent and asking questions.

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama https://www.businessinsider.comKatherine Johnson had a great attitude toward the work environment she was in and didn’t let certain things interfere with her selfless characteristics. She grew up being separated from the white population. Her father raised her to have a wise opinion on the way society was like at the time: “Katherine Johnson once remarked that even though she grew up in the height of segregation, she didn't think much about it because 'I didn't have time for that... don't have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I'm as good as anybody, but no better'” (PR Newswire). She said it herself, growing up being segregated didn’t make her feel like less of a person or any superior. She grew up with the mindset of equality and her being just as good as anybody else. This mindset is what pushed her to advance in her mathematic career pathway. This was important because the career she pursued was very exclusive. She was one the of the first African American to work at NASA, surrounded by white males. She didn’t think much of this and was able to focus on her job. It was this mindset and her hard work in her education that gave her strength in math that made her so successful. Her selfless mindset toward the way life was at the time helped expand her career at NASA, and inspires many today: “She's one of the greatest minds ever to grace our agency or our country, and because of the trail she blazed, young Americans like my granddaughters can pursue their own dreams without a feeling of inferiority” (Contemporary Black Biography). This shows her selfless attitude toward her work helped her become a successful person NASA. Any obstacle that came her way she dealt with and at the end of the day focused on her work, makings sure every calculation was perfect. She showed that being separated just because the color of skin didn’t stop her from accomplishing great things and inspiring others. Johnson’s heroic characteristics were shown through her thoughts on equality and not letting things put a stop to your dreams.

A new research facility at NASA in Hampton, Va. has been named after herhttps://technical.lyKatherine Johnson has proven she is a hero through her selfless work ethic and putting hard work into everything she puts her mind to.“The prospects for a Negro woman in the field could be viewed only as dismal. In the 1930s, just over 100 women in the United States worked as professional mathematicians. Employers openly discriminated against Irish and Jewish women with math degrees; the odds of a black woman encountering work in the field hovered near zero” (Shetterly). Katherine Johnson did not have it easy growing up with segregation and discrimination. She didn’t let these ideas get in her head and focused on her work to make sure everything was right. The work Katherine Johnson has done is inspiring to our society and for woman of all races working in the STEM job fields. She has proven that women are just as capable in performing mathematical and ingenuitive tasks as men. Her mindset and hard work in her education and her career is what pushed her accomplish things that weren’t expected from women at the time. Katherine Johnson not only defied the stereotypes for women working in the STEM job field, but proved she was an important asset to NASA’s space programs.

Works Cited

"Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson." Contemporary Black Biography, vol. 61, Gale, 2007.Biography InContext,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1606003687/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=89ba5ab9. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018

"NASA Statements on Katherine Johnson's Medal of Freedom." PR Newswire, 24 Nov. 2015. Biography In Context,

https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A435499431/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=387a 40ab. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018.

Shetterly, Margot Lee. “Katherine Johnson Biography.” NASA, NASA, 22 Nov. 2016,

www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography.

Shetterly, Margot Lee. “The Woman the Mercury Astronauts Couldn't Do Without - Issue 43:Heroes.” Nautilus, NautilusThink Inc, 1 Dec. 2016, 

https://nautil.us/issue/43/heroes/the-woman-the-mercury-astronauts-couldnt-do-without