The "I Want to be Like Her" essays are a chance for girls to read about the success stories of women in mathematics. They then write a short essay on why they could look up to and follow women who have oversome hardships and striven for success in their fields. The five essays below were chosen from all of the essays submitted as the winners in this years celebration.
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 1st Place :: Marcilla Denny :: 11th :: Bertie STEM High School
Her Name: Tahani R. Amer
Occupation: Aero Space Engineer
Employer: NASA Langley Research Center
Why do you want to be like her?
Tahani R. Amer is a very inspiring woman. Her ingenuity and perseverance made her successful and will continue to help her accomplish her goals.. Imagine being placed in a situation where it was almost impossible for you to succeed. This perfectly describes Mrs. Amer. She married at a young age, more to a place that was foreign to her, and even quit school. This may have seemed like a terrible move by Amer, considering that she was raising a family at the time, but she decided to step out of her comfort zone. She pushed her insecurities to the back of her mind and rose above her circumstances. She never stopped working towards success. Often times, we work towards something, reap the benefits and stop. Why do we become complacent if there is always room to grow? Why do we become satisfied if more goals can be accomplished? Like Tahani I never want to become satisfied, I will always be hungry for success. Even after Tahani became an engineer and went to college, she never became comfortable. She needed more and strived for her goals. She remembers taking her first calculus class and having a hard timebecause she couldn’t speak English at all. She could have been “comfortable” and thought to herself “It doesn’t matter. I’ll just drop calculus.” But she didn’t. She did the opposite.
This was a miniscule difficulty to Tahani because she passed the course with an A. Tahani also faced the difficulty of raising a family and sticking to her religious beliefs. Not only did she overcome this difficulty she incorporated those parts of her life into her occupation, by being involved in her mosque programs and in her kids activities. Having so much on her, one thought she would have cracked. Instead, it only made her a better person. Her motivation and perseverance was and still is impregnable. I plan and to hope that I will be as “hungry” as she was for success, even after unexpected difficulties arise. I want to be like her because she is strong-willed, motivated and admirable. I want to be like her because she is accomplished. Tahani R. Amer is the literal definition of success, hard work and determination. I want to be like her because. She is being honored in a celebration. That is and will continue to inspire many young women. I know this because it has greatly inspired myself. The celebration of women in mathematics is truly a great and honoring event and Tahani R. Amer exemplifies this. I Marcilla Marie Denny will reach my goals and receive everything that is meant for me, just as Tahani R. Amer has done. “I want to be like her.” I will not take anything less than the never-ending path of success and overcome my challenges and obstacles. |
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 2nd Place :: Shekinah Gonzales :: 9th :: C.S. Brown High School
Her Name: Lenore Jackson
Occupation: User Consultant/ Informational Specialist
Employer: NASA Science Internet
Why do you want to be like her?
Optimism is a trait that will take a person far in life. Optimism is a trait that the lovely Lenore Jackson possessed. Throughout her life Lenore let her trait shine and in time she earned a career with NASA, working one of the most important positions there is to offer. Her job as a User Consultant and Informational Specialist required skills that to more, who are not optimistic, would find difficult to have. Her love for meeting new person, learning and traveling is inspiring, as well as her as a person. The world is in dire need of more women like Lenore Jackson. Her intelligence, patience, optimism and accomplishments has influenced me to want to be like her, and that is what I will do. |
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 3rd Place :: Olivia Sanders :: 8th :: River Road Middle School
Her Name: Roberta Bondar
Occupation: Astronaut/ Neurologist
Employer: NASA
Why do you want to be like her?
I want to be like her because she proved that woman can do anything that a man can do. She was the first female astronaut and the first neurologist in space from Canada. She also had a very high spot at her job for NASA. She was their head of space medicine for over a decade. She really inspires me to reach for the best I can be and that if I enjoy something, I should do it no matter what any one else says about it women can do anything a man can do and everyone needs to realize it just like Roberta Bondar did! |
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 4th Place :: Lauren Kohler :: 7th :: Central Middle School
Her Name: Christine Munoz
Occupation: Mac/ PC administrator
Employer: Code IN-Nas Division
Why do you want to be like her?
I want to be like Christine because math is my favorite subject just like her. I also agree with her, girls & women have a voice. We are all equal. Men aren’t always the best. I love working with computers and math. I have loved it since I have been in probably 1st grade. I also play an instrument like her. I don’t play the guitar but I play the flute. I also want to be like her because I like what she lives by such as 1) Never lose sight of who you are. 2) Never forget your worth. 3) Never give up own you. 4) Never let people tell what not to do. 5) Never stop learning. I think all of these are important to and her. I think I am much like her and I want to be like her. |
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 5th Place :: Caitlyn Overton :: 6th :: Central Middle School
Her Name: Denise Stephenson- Hawk
Occupation: She worked for NASA
Employer: NASA
Why do you want to be like her?
I would like to be like Denise Stephenson – Hawk. Because she grew up in North Carolina. She didn’t have a lot of money either. Science is the field I want to work in because it is full of mystery. I want to discover something new and show the world what GIRLS can do. MEN can not control us. Science is a field of discovery and that is the field I want. GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING |
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