Katherine Johnson

Counting on Katherine, by Sophia Burciaga

Today I'm going to be writing about Katherine Johnson. Who was the first African American woman to work for (NASA) as a mathematician. There will always be science, engineering and technology, and there will always, always be mathematics, which is one of many Katherine Johnson's quotes. 

Katherine Johnson was born August 26th, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a lumberman, farmer, and a handyman. Katherine loved counting things, by the age of 10 she was in high school. The college Katherine attended was called West Virginia State College (WVSC). Graduating at the age of 18 with a degree in mathematics. 

Katherine referred to women in the pool as virtual, "Computers who wore skirts," and she was determined to change that, while the racial and gender barriers were always there, Katherine ignored them. Katherine always asked to be included in meetings, where no women had gone before, but Katherine wasn't just any women she knew she was right where she belonged. 

Although Katherine dealt with discrimination as a woman of color, she was determined to make a change. Katherine was the first women in her division to have her name on a report for NASA. Katherine has worked on many missions for NASA, but she is recognized for John Glenn's orbit around the Earth. Even though NASA used computers for calculations, officials called Katherine to verify the computers numbers. 

"Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men." This quote is what inspired me to write about Katherine Johnson. In my opinion Katherine Johnson should be honored as a Civil rights leader, because being a woman of color in that time wasn't easy, but Katherine was assertive and aggressive and didn't take no for an answer and her work showed for it. NASA was one of many who were always counting on Katherine.