Like many children, Mae Jemison grew up watching Star Trek on TV—and fell in love with a vision of the future when a black woman like Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura could be a scientist and travel aboard a starship.                                                      

In 1992, Jemison made that vision a reality: she became the first woman of color to go to space.  Through her work with a number of non-profits and educational programs, she advocates for girls and minority students to dream big and follow their dreams into a STEM field and into the future. [source: Wikipedia]