As I sit at my computer and research technology influencers and educators of all time, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates are the front runners on my google search. They all have the same things in common, male, worth billions of dollars, and entered the technology world at an early age. As I dug into the world of technology, I stumbled upon “Hidden Figures,” a 2016 movie about an African American woman Kathrine Johnson, a mathematician who worked for NASA. At the age of 10, she started high school and graduated at age 14; in 1937, at 18, she graduated college with a double major in mathematics and French. Johnson worked as a schoolteacher for a decade up until 1952, when she began working as a “computer” at Langley, one of the oldest NASA field centers. They finally opened their doors to hiring black women mathematicians. She is most well-known for calculating the trajectory, using her geometry skills in 1958 for the Apollo 11 mission and playing a significant role in John Glenn’s three orbits around the earth. As a woman of color, Johnston had to overcome racial discrimination and social boundaries. She worked for NASA for 33 years, and for decades she was unrecognized for her contributions to space flight. In 2015 Johnston was awarded the Presidential Medal of freedom for her work in the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) with Obama, stating that “Katherine G. Johnson refused to be limited by society’s expectations of her gender and race while expanding the boundaries of humanity’s reach.” (Obama, 2015) In 2017, NASA Dedicated a building in her name, the  Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility., Johnston has also been credited with co-authoring one of the first textbooks on space. Kathrine Johnston’s life and contribution to technology lead the way for not only for women of color. It opened the door for all women in the field of STEM. Her life is fascinating, and I encourage you to watch the movie to understand the impact Johnston had on society entirely. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/science/katherine-johnson-dead.html

https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/who-was-katherine-johnson-k4

https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a24429/hidden-figures-real-story-nasa-women-computers/

https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/nasa-hidden-figures-katherine-johnson-honors_n_59c834a2e4b01cc57ff2fa2e?ri18n=true