All she’d ever wanted was to know how things worked. So when Valerie Thomas walked around the college fair, the dismissive responses from white recruiters was disheartening. How could she enter the STEM field without access?
Only NASA called her back and hired her – but it wasn’t until a Black woman supervisor forced Thomas’ boss to give her an assignment that she could work.
Unfortunately, her racist and sexist boss refused to support her! He made her redo assignments numerous times, without telling her what was wrong. Eventually, her calculations were questioned by higher-ups. What did her boss do?
He threw her under the bus! So Thomas publicly confronted him: he hadn’t given her any support, so why act shocked when things didn’t work out? Everyone realized she was experiencing discrimination and transferred her to a new department.
After that, Thomas’ brilliant mind and career soared!
She went on to manage the development of satellite software systems and develop the illusion transmitter, which paved the way for 3D technology.
Thomas never backed down from a challenge or let discrimination control her path – and encouraged others to follow her lead!
Remember, when we fight for our dreams and determine our own fate, despite sexists or racists who refuse to give us a seat at the table, we can achieve our lifelong dreams.