What Are Katherine Johnson Major Accomplishments

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Known for her proficiency in math, Katherine G. Johnson was an important asset in many NASA missions. She was chosen as one of the 3 black students to integrate a West Virginia graduate school. At 14, she graduated high school, and went on to earn a degree in math, as well as French, at West Virginia State College. After college, she taught a school in Virginia. In 1939, she began a mathematics degree at West Virginia University, but was unable to finish the degree due to family matters, according to The HistoryMakers. She returned to teaching again, but in 1952 began her legacy as one of the people who helped accomplish what was thought of as an impossible feat—getting a man to space.
Katherine Johnson’s most significant achievements occurred while she was working with NASA. She did math work
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Even so, women of color in STEM fields are seldom seen today—in 2010, Black women made up 10.7% of the total sum of women who earned bachelor degrees in STEM, according to the National Science Foundation. She is recognized in the movie “Hidden Figures”, telling the story of how her and 2 other Black women—Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan—helped launch John Glenn into orbit. Her legacy encourages women and girls of color to pursue careers in science and engineering fields. Though she is not as well known as others, she was still one of the most important members of the NASA team.
I chose Katherine Johnson because she is very inspirational to me, because she is a successful women of color. I have an interest in engineering, a field that isn’t diverse even today. She was very intelligent as a child, striving to do the best she could. She defied the barriers of her time, and proved she could do just as well, if not better than the men. She inspires many other women and people of color as