Little Mae’s dream to become an astronaut began when she was just a girl. She started to read books about space, she crafted an astronaut costume and she had dreams about dancing in space among the stars. When she shared her future goals with her teacher and classmates at school, she got laughed at. Mae became disheartened. But with her parents’ continual and unwavering support, Mae worked incredibly hard, even starting her university career at Stanford at the age of sixteen. Nothing was going to stop her! And nothing did. She became the first female African American astronaut, is an inspiration to countless, and continues to impact young lives in a significant way through her nonprofit initiatives.
Mae Among the Stars | Written by Roda Ahmed @rodaworld | Illustrated by Stasia Burrington @stasiaburrington | @harperchildrens