Fourteen years. That's how long it's been since Joan Higginbotham, of Charlotte, went to space, spending over 20 hours on the International Space Station as part of a 12-day mission. As WCNC reports, she worked her way up at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, participating in more than 50 shuttle launches before eventually becoming the third African-American woman to travel to space in 2006.
Now retired from space travel, she works at Collins Aerospace, using the experiences she learned throughout her career to encourage young girls and women to pursue careers in STEM. Higginbotham went through years of training and education to prepare for her carer, but her work ethic eventually paid off. Now, she wants young girls to understand that if she can do it, so can they.
"I really feel that it's incumbent on me to get those girls really encouraged to say 'look I did it,'" said Higginbotham. "'It was hard, it was challenging but I did it and if I can do it, I know you can do it.'"
Though she's now retired, Higginbotham would jump at the chance to go back to space.
"If given the chance, I would do it all over again," she said. "I'd fly tomorrow if they called me up and asked me to."
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