nPostednon October 17, 2013
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nAndna first!
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nOnlyna tiny minority of Americans have ever been to space….between 300 and 400 people. And of those few hundreds of spacentravelers, only a small minority have been women…only 45. And ofnthose women, only a small minority have been black…justnthree.
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nMaenJemison was the first African American female astronaut to go tonspace, flying on the Space Shuttle Endeavor as a MissionnSpecialist in 1992.
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nInlove this woman! She has been a dancer since age 11, and she learnedneverything from jazz and African dance to ballet and modern. Shenconsidered becoming a professional dancer but was also determined tonbe a scientist, and maybe a medical doctor—and she decided thatndance was easier to enjoy as a hobby than doctoring!
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nJemisonnwent to prestigious Stanford University at age 16, and she majored innchemical engineering (although she faced discrimination in the field both as a woman and as a black person). She managed to earn anBachelor of Arts Degree (a BA) in African and Afro-American Studiesnat the same time that she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree (a BS)nin chemical engineering. She went on to get her Doctor of Medicinendegree at another prestigious university, Cornell; she now has NINEnhonorary doctorates in science, engineering, letters, and the arts!!!
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nJemisonntraveled all over the world to provide medical care to people whilenshe was in med school!
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nShe studied at the Alvin Ailey dance school!
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nShe worked in the Peace Corps!
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nShe took anposter from the Alvin Ailey Professional Dance Company on her space mission!
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nWhen she left NASA, she founded hernown company to research how technology can help the daily lives of the peoples of thenworld!
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nShe has a dance studio in her house!
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nAnd, best of all, shenacted in an episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation!
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nOkay,nthat Star Trek thing WASN’T best of all—I was just joking.nThe medical and helping people stuff, the astronaut andnscientist stuff are all way more important than her foray intonacting. But it was perhaps the most surprising thing I read about thenwonderfully interesting Mae Jemison!
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nAlsonon this date:
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nMulligannDay
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nHagfishnDay
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nPlannAhead:
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Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nOctobern holidays
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nOctobern birthdays
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- Historicaln anniversaries in October
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nNovembern holidays
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nNovembern birthdays
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- Historicaln anniversaries in November
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