Tiera Fletcher - Wonder Women of Science

O ur deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. I spoke these words by author Marianne Williamson at my eighth-grade graduation ceremony, and I think about them every day.

When I had to recite that passage before delivering the speech in front of my peers, I realized how much I had been living in fear. My science teacher would always describe me as the one who was super smartbut not initially, obviously so. I was the shy kid in the class. Even if I knew the answer, I was afraid to speak up because I did not have the confidence to showcase my abilities.

I was six when I started preparing for my career as an engineer. On our Saturday trips to the grocery store, my mother, an accountant, would tell me to total up the cost of groceries, plus sales tax and minus the coupons Id clipped the night before. Of course, there was no calculator... I was the calculator! Math became a fun challenge for me, and at the same time, I was beginning to understand one of maths uses: managing money. My father, a construction worker, must have noticed my interest because soon enough he taught me how to calculate measurements when building a structure. I guess being the child of an accountant and a construction worker may explain why I wanted to be a mathematician, architect, scientist, inventor, and designer... at least until my next big realization.

At the age of eleven, I discovered the name of my future career field: aerospace engineering. Growing up in a small town called Mableton, Georgia, I was a short distance from Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Georgia. Lockheed Martin created a program that allowed select elementary school students to learn the fundamentals of aerospace engineering. When I was picked for the program, I decided that I wanted to design military aircraft.

From that point on, my academic focus was aerospace engineering. I knew that I had to excel to be a rocket scientist, so I became my own worst critic. Meanwhile, my family continued to be my cheerleaders.

You might say I was afraid not of the dark, but of the lightthe light inside myself. No matter how many perfect grades I received, I did not believe in my abilities. Even though I went on to major in aerospace engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the top engineering schools in the entire world, I did not believe in myself.

Within the first month of college, I lost one of my closest friends to suicide. He faced many pressures in his young life, including both his father and his older brother going to jail. While living at home with his single mom, he tried his best to help out by working two jobs in addition to his full-time college studies. Eventually, he became lost and overwhelmed. Our family lives were different, but our self-doubt was the same. My friend did not see in himself the capable, strong, gifted person I knew him to be. Like me, he simply did not believe in himself. After his tragic and untimely death, I made a commitment to carry the faith that he had in me and achieve my dreams like he knew I could.

It was then I realized that life is too short to make excuses and to not at least try to reach your full potential. As you know, that is much easier said than done. I consistently fought to prove myself in classes with few female or minority students. To this day, there are not many people who look like me in my line of work. I have felt underrepresented and frustrated many times. I had professors who would comment that my presentation delivery was too feminine even after I received a perfect grade. I quickly learned I had to project my voice to be heard in discussions where I was often the only woman in the group. Many times, my male peers assumed that I would not be able to contribute to a group project simply because I am female. Even in the industry, I run into many people who do not expect me to be able to answer their questions; they incorrectly assume that a woman couldnt possibly have the required knowledge and understanding. As a triple minority in the field of aerospace engineering (young, female, and African American), I have continually experienced false assumptions based on the way that I look. These assumptions have followed me since I first realized I wanted to be an engineer at eleven years old. But do you think I let those assumptions stop me? No way! Every day, it is an uphill battle, but of course, I do not fight alone. I have the unceasing support of my parents, my family, my friends, my mentors, and my husband.

At age twenty-two, I achieved my first career dream: I became a rocket scientist, working on NASAs Space Launch System, and I graduated from MIT with a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering. The following year, I married my best friend, coworker, and life partner, Myron Fletcher, and I gave birth to my motivation, my son, Myron Jr.

As I continue to make a life for myself, I always remember my close friend who so tragically took his own life. His potential and the potential of many others like him had been cut short. To address that issue, my husband and I founded Rocket with the Fletchers, an organization that offers motivational speaking and mentoring services to encourage others to reach their fullest potential and achieve their dreams.

The twelve scientists profiled here are women from all sorts of backgrounds who are currently rocking science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Each of them has a different story to tell about how she got to where she is today, but the one thing they have in common is that they are all truly wonder women of science. Around the world, there are many more women doing incredible work and breaking new ground in STEM fieldsnot to mention girls of all ages dreaming of how they will one day contribute.

Perseverance, support, faith, and unwavering diligence are the keys to achieving your dreams. You may not realize it, but at this very moment, you hold these keys in your hand. Now go and use them to unlock your future. Someday you, too, could be a science superstar!