Mae Jemison Biography

Picture an astronaut. This astronaut is also a physician, engineer, professor, dancer, and entrepreneur. Sounds unconventional right? It is difficult to picture this scenario, but Mae Carol Jemison perfectly fits in it.

Born on October 17, 1956, Jemison is nothing but extraordinary. Growing up in Chicago, Jemison was a bright child interested in so many things ranging from nature, human physiology, and archaeology to astronomy. Jemison watched the Apollo Airing on the TV where the lack of female astronauts upset her. Her favorite show Star Trek: The Original Series, and the character Lieutenant Uhura played by African American actress Nichelle Nicholas, inspired her to pursue a career in space. After graduating High School at age sixteen, she went on to pursue a dual degree: a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering, and a Bachelor’s of Arts in African and African American Studies at Stanford University where she faced discrimination as one of the very few students of color, but also stood up for her identity by serving as president for Black Students Union and used her dancing skills to choreograph a performing arts production about the African American Experience.

Jemison had always been a leader, but she wanted more. After college she pursued medicine. She led a study for the American Medical Student Association in Cuba, worked at a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand, and took graduate-level engineering classes, all during her time at the Cornell School of Medicine. After becoming a physician, she practiced general medicine in Los Angeles, served as a medical officer with the Peace Corps for two years in West Africa in 1983, and came back to America to open a private practice. She had also been in charge of medical care for the US Embassy and was a researcher with the CDC. Jemison was excellent in her practice as a physician, but when Sally Ride became the first American woman astronaut in 1983, she was inspired to pursue her childhood dream of going to space. After getting deferred by NASA in 1985 after the Challenger Space Shuttle Explosion of 1986, she reapplied and was chosen for the Astronaut Program among over 2000 Applicants in 1987. After training for about two years, she was chosen in 1989 to join the STS-47 Crew as a science mission specialist conducting experiments on the crew on motion sickness and brain cells.

In 1992, she became the first African American Woman to go to space on a mission with six other astronauts in the Space Shuttle Endeavour which made 127 orbits around the earth in eight days. After achieving her dream and creating a legacy for herself, she left NASA in 1993. In the same year, she was invited to appear on her childhood favorite show Star Trek: The Next Generation for one episode portraying the character of an astronaut. Her constant hard work and dedication did not exhaust her and limit her from achieving more.

Jemison is the epitome of living to the fullest. She is curious and interested in various issues and fields of study. A born leader, she started a consulting company called Jemison Group in 1993 which encourages science, technology, and environmental change. In 1994, she created the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, a non-profit that aims to foster educational experiences, and also hosts an international space camp for teenage children called “The Earth We Share”. She also taught environmental studies as a professor and led the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries at Dartmouth college from 1995 to 2002.

Since 2012, Jemison has been leading “100 Year Starship” through the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and is working towards making human space travel to another star possible within the next 100 years. Throughout her life, Jemison has strived to pursue all her interests and contribute to science and the community. She has continued her childhood dance training in Modern Jazz and African dance throughout her life, even as a physician and astronaut and has said that dancing has helped her achieve success in her professional endeavors. When not out directly engaging with science and the community, she has choreographed and produced several dance shows and performances, and dances in the dance studio at her home to this day. Jemison is exceptional, and it reflects through the various honorary doctorate degrees, awards, and honors she has received.

The number of achievements Jemison has is commendable. Nothing tattered her determination, focus, and confidence to stop her progress towards her interests. Her story continues to inspire everyone, especially young African American and female children to realize that their race or gender is not a limitation or barrier to their goals and dreams. The following quote perfectly exemplifies her inspiring story.

“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.”