Successful Professionals In STEM

Highlighting successful professionals who have pursued a career in STEM can be an invaluable source of inspiration for high schoolers considering similar paths. Many of today’s most influential STEM professionals started their journeys in high school, working towards their goals through education and hands-on experience.

Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to travel into space, is a prime example of someone who was able to achieve great success through hard work and dedication to the sciences. After graduating from Stanford University with degrees in both chemical engineering and Afro-American studies, she went on to complete medical school at Cornell University and eventually become an astronaut for NASA. Since then she’s been celebrated for her achievements as well as her commitment to inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Another successful professional who pursued a STEM career is Dean Kamen, an inventor best known for his Segway personal transporter as well as several other wheeled mobility devices and robots designed to aid those with disabilities or limited physical ability. He founded numerous companies throughout his lifetime including FIRST Robotics which encourages young people to participate in robotics competitions each year. His inventions have earned him recognition including induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame as well as numerous awards including the Lemelson-MIT Prize, the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, and honorary doctorates from several universities around the world.
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These are just two examples among many professionals who found success within STEM fields. Highlighting such role models can be incredibly helpful for high schoolers looking forward to entering similar industries after graduation; it makes them aware that with determination and creativity anything is possible within this vast field of study!