Dorothy Vaughan (1910-2008) paved the way for black women in STEM and leadership positions as the first African American supervisor at NASA. Born in Missouri and raised in West Virginia, Vaughan was extremely gifted from an early age. According to BlackPast.org, she graduated high school at 15, and at just 19 years-old, earned her Bachelor’s in mathematics from Wilberforce University right here in Ohio. 

As stated by Sciencemuseum.org, after college, Vaughan worked as a high school math teacher until 1943, when she was offered what was initially a temporary position at NACA (now NASA) to help with war efforts. 

 She was assigned to work in the segregated West Area Computing Unit which was made up of intelligent but underappreciated black women. Eventually, Dorothy Vaughan was promoted to supervisor and would continue working for the company, even as it changed to NASA, until her retirement in 1971. 

NASA shares that throughout her career, she taught the women she worked with how to program and use new technology so they could continue working as machines started to take over. She continually persevered through obstacles and was an aid to the space race while advocating for the other West Area girls along with raising six children, one of which would also end up working for NASA.

I chose to write about Dorothy Vaughan because I want to go into the business and STEM field and without women like her paving the way, this career would not be available to me as a woman. She continually advocated for equality which is still needed today and she inspires me to stand up for what is right. I think it’s very important for her story to be told because kids need role models that look like them and the black community is very underrepresented.