Mary Jackson
An American mathematician and aerospace engineer at NASA, who became NASA's first black female engineer.
Most quoted
"We have to do something like this to get them interested in science. Sometimes they are not aware of the number of black scientists, and don't even know of the career opportunities until it is too late."
— from On community outreach, 1970
"I plan to be an engineer at NASA, but I have to take the graduate-level courses in math and physics to qualify, and they're only offered at a segregated high school."
— from Conversation with supervisor, 1958
"I changed my mind about what I wanted to be, and I changed my mind about what I wanted to do, and I changed my mind about what I wanted to be when I grew up."
— from Interview
All quotes by Mary Jackson (397)
I changed my mind about what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I decided I wanted to be an engineer. And I was the first black female engineer at NASA.
We have to be very careful not to let our own prejudices influence our work.
I was a mathematician, and I was a woman, and I was Black. And I was at NASA. And I was an engineer.
I never gave up. I just kept going.
You have to be willing to take risks.
I always tried to do my best, no matter what.
I wanted to be part of something important.
There were times when I felt like giving up, but I didn't.
I believed in myself, even when others didn't.
It wasn't easy, but it was worth it.
I was determined to make a difference.
Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do.
I loved what I did.
The sky's the limit.
I stood on the shoulders of giants.
I was part of a team that changed the world.
My work was important.
I broke barriers.
I paved the way for others.
I never forgot where I came from.
Contemporaries of Mary Jackson
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Mary Jackson (1921–2005).